Most government agencies (OSHA included) will tell you that forklift safety is everyone’s responsibility. The reality is that employers carry the majority of the responsibility for providing a safe work environment, ensuring that the operators have proper training, proper equipment and safe procedures.
While it may be tempting to see vehicle operators as responsible for accidents and thus better training for them as the way to safe lift truck operations. It is important to recognize that training, although essential, will not be enough to eliminate accidents or avoid damage. To be most effective, operator training should be part of a larger comprehensive powered-lift-truck safety program. This program should include the following elements: Hazard identification, training, supervision, operating procedures, maintenance and repair procedures, facility design/layout & lift truck selection criteria.
Start-Manager Inc. can be a big part of your comprehensive powered-lift-truck safety program so you won’t ignore safety.
Training and access
A properly trained lift truck operator is the first step towards a safe lift truck fleet. But even if your staff is properly trained, how do you ensure that only qualified personnel use your equipment? Having a tool to control access to your equipment allows management to pick and choose each person with each piece of equipment. Start-Manager’s line of rugged telematics offer dual function access control (4-digit key code or 125 kHz proximity cards/FOBs) giving you flexibility when you assign equipment. And because you cannot start the vehicle until proper credentials are entered, you never need to worry about untrained or unauthorized employees using your equipment again.
Setting standards & defining procedures
Setting standards and operating procedures is a very important step towards a safer working environment. Making sure that these standards and procedures are properly communicated and consistently enforced is an essential component of this process. Having a tool to reinforce those standards can ensure dependable and efficient compliance. Start-Manager SM201 and SM301 models come equipped with a daily safety check feature that ensures your vehicles are inspected to YOUR standards at the start of every shift. This makes certain that only safe vehicles are entered into service every time.
Tracking and supervision
All the best standards, procedures, and guidelines in the world will not matter if they are not properly managed. This includes setting expectations, reinforcing behaviors and following up on any and all incidents. Having a tool like Start-Manager’s innovative web portal will allow you to easily monitor your fleet and operators information simply and intuitively. At a push of a button you can, add and remove operators, equipment, customize questions, and monitor information at a glance and more.
Contact Start-Manager for more information:
Call: 1-800-674-9320