Headline
Mousetrap deaths now top
workplace killer
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How one simple step can avoid this
tragedy in your firm
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Recent studies by the European Agency for Safety and Health at
Work (OSHA) make grim reading for forklift operators. Tipping
accidents are confirmed as one of the biggest causes of fatal
accidents in the workplace. In almost all of these cases, the driver was
‘mousetrapped’ between the truck and the ground, causing massive
trauma to the head or upper body.
But it need not be like this.
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In this issue of Forklift Briefing we explain why trucks tip over because experts believe that this is not fully understood by many
forklift drivers.
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And while that should be useful, we start this month’s article with a
simple truth that you can put into action today to help save the lives of
your colleagues and avoid business-busting fines and compensation
claims...
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Belt up or get cut up
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The surprising truth is that the seatbelt on a forklift is not intended to
protect the driver from a collision at speed, but to stop him from his
natural urge to jump free.... to his death.
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Seatbelts in forklifts are designed to prevent drivers sliding from the
seat in an upward and outward direction, as doing so increases the
risk of a driver having his head trapped or crushed between the
overhead guard and the floor.
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Coroners’ Inquests hear ever more tragic and gruesome cases of
how, as a forklift truck starts to tip over, the human brain makes the
driver try and get out of the truck. And how, in trying to save
themselves in this way, they often die. The driver is ‘mousetrapped’
between the overhead guard and the ground with fearful injuries.
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No amount of training, experience or knowledge seems to stop people
trying to ‘beat the mousetrap’.
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If only the driver could keep his nerve, stay inside the cab, perhaps
In car driving, the seatbelt system was introduced to restrain the driver
in a high speed collision – preventing him or her from hitting the
steering wheel or windscreen. So why do forklift trucks have a
seatbelt… surely their speeds are much lower?
bracing himself with the steering wheel or grab handles. The driver
may be bruised, but there are virtually no fatalities on record of this
type of accident.
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Studies have shown that the urge to jump is so irresistible that the
best safety precaution of all is to wear a seatbelt – to stop the driver
jumping out!
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So this is what you can do today to start saving lives: make it a
company rule that every driver must wear their seat restraint at all
times. If you see someone in your workplace driving without a seat
restraint, stop them and insist their wear it. Make sure your colleagues
know the story too.
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It may not be very ‘macho’ to belt up on a slow-moving forklift, but
remember it is better to belt up than to get smashed up…
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Above: when a truck starts to tip it is imperative that the driver stays
inside the cab.
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How to survive the mousetrap
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Lean in
Grip steering wheel or grab handles
Brace with your feet
Without a seatbelt, you can try and stay safe in a tipping accident with
these three points:
1: Lean away from the direction of tipping
2: Grip steering wheel – or, better still, the grab handles to help stay in
your seat
3: Push down with your feet to force yourself back into the seat
But best of all – wear a seatbelt!
Why forklifts fall
There are many situations that can lead up to a tipping incident, but in
all cases the truck’s stability has been compromised by poor driving
and poor understanding of the basic principles of forklift stability.
At the heart of truck stability is the so-called Stability Pyramid. Forklift
trainers recognise the pyramid as one of the most difficult yet
important concepts to teach. A major problem – recognised by health
and safety regulators – is that there is not enough training time to
ensure this principle is actually understood.
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Above: the basic pyramid:
A: Rear of stability pyramid – rear axle centre pin
B: Front of stability pyramid base
C: Truck centre of gravity
How does the centre of gravity move?
The point that must be kept within the triangle/pyramid is the
combined centre of gravity (CCOG). The truck itself has its own centre
of gravity, typically about 20cm below the driver’s seat. In addition, the
load has a centre of gravity – the load centre – typically 500mm
forward of the fork backrest. These two forces form the combined
centre of gravity: a new, moving, centre of gravity that must stay inside
the Stability Pyramid. If this point moves beyond the front of the
pyramid, the truck will tip forward. If it leaves the pyramid to left or
right, the truck will tip sideways.
When stationary, the CCOG can always be found on a line drawn from
the truck’s centre of gravity to the load centre – as the load is lifted,
the CCOG moves upwards with it – into a smaller and smaller
triangle…
Above:
A: Forklift centre of gravity
B: Load centre
C: Combined centre of gravity
Why is it a triangle?
Many forklift drivers struggle with the idea of the base of their stability
pyramid being a triangle and not a square with a wheel on each corner
– especially on a four wheel forklift. In fact, the pyramid’s base joins
the front two wheels on the ground with the pivot point on the rear
steer axle – so even on a four wheel truck, it is a triangle, with one
point over the rear axle pivot.
Most people think of a ‘pyramid’ as having a square base, like those in
Egypt. A triangle-based pyramid is actually called a tetrahedron.
Keeping the CCOG inside a triangle is even harder than a square,
because it is smaller!
More height, more danger
Because the pyramid rapidly narrows to a point, loads that are very
stable at low lift height quickly become unstable at higher lift – as the
CCOG must be kept in a smaller and smaller triangle. At high lifts, this
triangle can be surprisingly small – with very little margin of error.
More speed, more danger
Unfortunately the centre of gravity is not the only force at work. In a
moving truck there are additional forces – caused by the truck’s
acceleration and deceleration. Even quite gentle braking can move the
effective CCOG forward – out of the triangle – creating the risk of
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tipping.
Centrifugal force
Net force
Direction of travel
Acceleration force
Worse still are the dynamic forces caused by turning – which push the
truck sideways in the opposite direction of the truck’s turning direction.
See figure 3.
These forces may be small at low speeds, but they do move the
CCOG and with an elevated load there is a very small triangle to keep
the CCOG within. This is why properly trained drivers will never
manoeuvre or travel with an elevated load.
No load, no danger?
Driving without a load is not a guarantee against a truck overturning.
Unloading a vehicle moves the CCOG to the rear, increasing the risk
of tip over. And this is frequently seen when joyriding in an unloaded
truck. Forklifts are designed for manoeuvrability and pulling power –
not performing sharp turns at speed or harsh braking.
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On solid ground
The stability principles work fine on flat solid ground, but where there
is any form of gradient at all, stability will quickly become critical.
Working on ramps is common for forklifts, but trucks are their most
vulnerable here if the load is elevated. For this reason trucks should
always reverse downhill with the load as low as possible.
Outdoors, the dangers increases greatly. A wheel going down a small
hole or up on a small ramp while the load is high can be sufficient to
tip the truck over.
Attachments
If an attachment is used – like a bale clamp – the increased front-end
weight moves the CCOG much further forward... significantly
increasing the possibility of the truck tipping forwards. It is vital,
therefore, for a driver to fully understand the changed performance
characteristics of a forklift with an attachment.
Their lives in your hands
Remember, there is no such thing as a forklift truck accident. An
‘accident’ is an incident of bad driving, bad training, bad maintenance,
a bad working environment or any combination of these.
Action Points
Ensure all your forklifts have an operator restraint.
Ensure all drivers always wear an operator restraint or seatbelt at all
times – and challenge those who do not.
Invest in driver training – and refresher courses – ensuring an
understanding of safe practice.
Mousetrap deaths now a top
workplace killer
Email
heading
How one simple step can avoid
this tragedy in your firm.
Body 1
Forklift tipping accidents are now one of the biggest causes of fatal
workplace accidents. In almost all of these cases, the driver was
‘mousetrapped’ between the truck and the ground…
This edition of [Forklift Briefing] explains why trucks tip over, how to
survive if yours does – and one simple rule that you can use every day
to prevent tragedy…
Full Story:
Body 2
Body 3
Website
story
headline
Mousetrap deaths now
top workplace killer
Website
story tagline
How one simple step can avoid
this tragedy on your premises.
Website
body 1
Forklift tipping accidents are now one of the biggest causes of fatal
workplace accidents. In almost all of these cases, the driver was
‘mousetrapped’ between the truck and the ground…
This essential [Forklift Briefing] article explains why trucks tip over,
how to survive if yours does – and one simple rule that you can use
every day to prevent tragedy…
Full Story Inside:
Website
body 2
Website
body 3
Compendium
headline
Compendium
tagline
Mousetrap deaths now a
top workplace killer
How one simple step can avoid
this tragedy in your firm.
Compendium Forklift tipping accidents are now one of the biggest causes of fatal
body 1
workplace accidents. In almost all of these cases, the driver was
‘mousetrapped’ between the truck and the ground…
Compendium This [Forklift Briefing] article explains why trucks tip over, how to
body 2
survive if yours does – and one simple rule that you can use every day
to prevent tragedy…
Compendium Full Story:
body 3