JULY/AUGUST 2016 VOLUME 18 | 3

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ISSN 1465-8240

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JULY/AUGUST 2016 VOLUME 18 | 3

www.mmcpublications.co.uk

www.goudarefractories.com

ISSN 1465-8240

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ISSN 1465-8240

n Ultrasonic testing billet testing

n Aluminium Düsseldorf 16 exhibitor profile

n Side mounted electromagnetic stirrers

n First Words by Marc Bosch of Novelis PAE

n Hertwich homogenising successes

n Reusable extrusion packaging

n Personality profile:

Paul Warton, President of

Constellium Automotive Structures

n Smelter upgrade expertise

n Liquid heart metal stirrer technology

n Working day in the life of Helgi Magnússon, Managing Director of Storvik Iceland

n News, Contract & People plus the Equipment & Materials Purchasing Guide

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Aluminium Times July/August 2016

58 | SAFETY www.mmcpublications.co.uk

In October 2015, an operator was killed when the forklift truck she was operating overturned, trapping her beneath it. The European aluminium company where the incident took place has been reluctant, so far, to provide any information on what had occurred. This is common when companies experience a workplace fatality. Our industry needs to acknowledge that any delay in releasing incident information increases the risk that a similar incident may be reproduced in another facility. In this incident, the news media reported it occurred after “unloading her cargo” while her coworkers were at lunch. The forktruck was either not equipped with doors or the operator was not wearing a seatbelt at that time, because either would have prevented the operator from falling out when it overturned. She was discovered underneath the tipped over forklift truck when her coworkers returned from lunch.

This is a terrible reminder of the dangers forklifts pose to their operators. In our industry forklift trucks are used for many differing tasks: from loading and unloading trucks to hauling crucibles and scraping dross out of furnaces. The variety of tasks and locations in our plants where forklifts operate make this hazard one of the most dangerous, because they are everywhere. Forklift trucks also have the unique characteristic of being located in one spot at one point, then the next minute they are somewhere else.

There are many types of incidents involving fork trucks. Each incident may result in a near miss, injury, or a fatality. The most frequent incident is when a forklift tips over. A past Occupational Safety & Health Administration study in the USA stated that 42 per cent of all forklift incidents involve the forktruck being overturned. This occurs when the vehicle’s centre of gravity moves past the point of stability, resulting with the vehicle falling onto its side.

A forklift can overturn when turning a corner, having an unbalanced load, driving into a pothole or travelling on a sloping surface. A forklift truck may also tip forward. This may happen while it’s carrying a maximum load, the mast tipping forward, abrupt stops, quickly accelerating in reverse, or driving up a ramp. If the forklift tips over in any direction, the operator should never jump off - they could be pinned under the lift as the vehicle falls. The operator may protect themselves faster by staying put. Leaning away or in the opposite direction from the falling lift is also recommended. The operator should hold onto the wheel and brace for the impact. These methods will help prevent them from falling out of the forklift.

Another way in which the operator can be injured is when the forklift strikes an

immovable object (e.g. wall, column) or runs off a dock. The force of this accident can be similar to a slow speed car crash. However, unlike a car which is engineered to protect the occupants during a crash, forklifts are not designed that way, and the operator can be seriously injured or killed. The use of seat belts is an inexpensive, yet effective, means for preventing the operator from falling out in case of tipping or during a crash. Most countries have enacted laws requiring the use of seat belts in forklifts. In the early 1990’s, forklift manufacturers began installing seatbelts. There are forklifts operating in our industry made prior to seatbelts becoming standard. Contact the manufacturer of your forklift for assistance if your machine does not have seatbelts.

Forklift traffic may also pose a hazard. Machines and pedestrians should be kept separated. Segregation of workers and forklifts could have prevented many past incidents where workers were struck by a forklift. Some of these incidents occurred were the material being hauled extended into pedestrian walkways or over individual workspaces. Workers were either unaware of the surroundings or did not acknowledge the visual and audible warnings the forklifts were giving off. Every worker, whether their work area is located on the factory floor or in the office, should be trained to use all their senses (e.g. sight, hearing) to know immediately if forklifts are in their vicinity.

Plant visitors, truck drivers and outside contractors should be given a safety presentation that covers forklift safety prior to entering the premises. Insisting that truck drivers stay in their trucks at all times when

forklift trucks are in the vicinity would have prevented a 2014 incident. A visiting truck driver was crushed between the truck and a 16 ton forklift loading ingots. The truck driver was lucky he was not killed and only suffered a broken pelvis. Our plants do a lot to prevent pedestrians and forklifts from interacting. We can lose sight of the fact that forklifts are driven by a human and not a machine. Many plants fail to periodically retrain and test forklift operators.

Forklift operators have the potential to increase workplace safety through several practices and behaviours. The most obvious is practicing safe driving. They can prevent workers from riding with them and ensure that haul loads are within the lifts’ capacity. Most importantly forklift operators should always wear their seat belts and be aware of pedestrians. Then they can ensure not only their worklife is safe but also the lives of their coworkers.http://aluminiumplantsafety.blogspot.com/

Entering a site with forklifts?Achieving safe forklift truck operations requires both adherence to procedures and awareness of the risks, not only for drivers, but for all those present around the plant premises, writes Alex Lowery.

The most frequent incident is when a forklift tips over.