What are the Most common Forklift Accidents?

If you have forklifts operating in your facility, you need to make sure that you are doing everything possible to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries. When an accident occurs with a forklift, it can cause severe damage, injury, or even death, which is why this is such a serious issue. While there are many things you can do to improve forklift safety, one of the most important is going to be simply learning about the most common types of forklift accidents. This will make it easier for you to direct your other safety efforts going forward. 

The following are the most common types of forklift accidents today: 

• Overturning a Forklift – If a forklift is loaded improperly or the operator tries to turn too sharply, it could cause it to tip over. This can be very dangerous for the operator, those in the area, and everything on the load. 
• Pinned Worker – People working near a forklift can get pinched or pinned between the forklift and a wall or the floor. The forklift can easily crush or cause other injuries to anyone trapped by its movement. 
• Operator Falling from Forklift – If the forklift operator does not use the seatbelt to securely strap themselves in, they could easily fall from the forklift. This easily preventable issue happens regularly and can result in very serious injuries. 
• Knocking Over Equipment – Forklifts need to be operated carefully so they do not knock over shelving or other equipment in the area. This type of accident can cause objects to fall on other people as well as result in a lot of damage. 

Learning more about these types of accidents can help illustrate why it is so important to take forklift safety seriously.