Most government agencies, OSHA included, will tell you that forklift safety is everyone’s responsibility. In practice the employer carries most of it: providing a safe place to work, and making sure operators have proper training, proper equipment and safe procedures.
What ignoring it costs
The National Safety Council puts the cost of a work injury that needed medical attention at $48,000 in 2024, and the cost of a work death at $1,540,000. Those figures count wage losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses and employer costs. They are the cost to society, so not all of it lands on the employer, and they leave out damage to equipment and buildings.
Forklifts were the source of 84 work deaths in 2024, and of 25,110 serious injuries in 2023 and 2024 (National Safety Council). On top of that, the maximum OSHA penalty is $16,550 for a serious violation and $165,514 for a willful or repeated one.
Training is not enough on its own
It is tempting to see operators as responsible for accidents, and better training as the whole answer. Training is essential. It will not eliminate accidents or damage by itself. It works as one part of a wider lift truck safety program that covers hazard identification, training, supervision, operating procedures, maintenance and repair procedures, facility layout and the choice of lift truck.
Three parts of that program are where a tool on the truck earns its place.
Training and access
A trained operator is the first step. The second is making sure that only trained operators use the equipment. Access control lets you decide who may use which truck. Start-Manager units take a 4-digit code or a 125 kHz proximity card or fob, and the truck will not start without one. More in why forklift access control is important.
Setting standards and defining procedures
Standards only work if they are communicated and enforced the same way every day. The SM301 has a daily safety check that asks your own questions at the start of every shift and keeps the truck from starting until they are answered. Only equipment that has been checked to your standard goes into service.
Tracking and supervision
The best procedures do nothing if nobody manages them. That means setting expectations, reinforcing good behavior and following up on every incident. The SM301’s web portal shows your fleet and your operators in one place. You can add and remove operators and equipment, change the questions, and see what needs attention, with no monthly fees.
What it costs to act
The SM101 covers access control alone. The SM301 adds the safety check and the portal, and the portal has no monthly fees. Our guide to what forklift access control costs sets the options side by side.
The next step is a one-hour online demo. Book one here.
Make your safety checks easy
Call us 1-800-674-9320 or book a walkthrough of the system.