Powered Industrial Trucks Bulletin

OSHA operation regulations for powered industrial trucks or forklifts.

• Trucks must not be driven up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object.
• No person is allowed to stand or pass under the elevated portion of any truck, whether loaded or empty.
• Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to ride on PITs. A safe place to ride must be provided where riding of trucks is authorized.
• Placing arms or legs between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines of the truck is prohibited.
• When left unattended, forks must be fully lowered, controls placed in neutral, power shut off, and brakes set. Wheels must be blocked if the truck is parked on an incline.
• A safe distance must be maintained from the edge of ramps or platforms while on any elevated dock, platform or freight car.
• There must be sufficient headroom under overhead installations, lights, pipes, sprinkler system, etc.
• An overhead guard should be used as protection against falling objects.
• All traffic regulations must be observed.
• All emergency vehicles must be yielded to.
• Railroad tracks must be crossed diagonally whenever possible.
• The driver must slow down and sound horn at cross-aisles where vision is ob-structed.
• Grades must be ascended or descended slowly.
• When ascending or descending grades in excess of 10 percent, loaded trucks should be driven with the load upgrade.
• Stunt driving and horseplay are not permitted.
• The driver is required to slow down for wet and slippery floors.
• Make sure dockboards/bridgeplates are properly secured before driven over.
• Elevators should be approached slowly, and then entered squarely after the ele-vator car is properly leveled. Once on the elevator, the controls shall be neutral-ized, power shut off, and the brakes set.
• Motorized hand trucks must enter elevator or other confined areas with load-end forward.
• Only loads within the loaded capacity of the truck and stable loads should be han-dled.
• Defective or unsafe PITs must be taken out of service.
• Fuel tanks must not be filled while the engine is running.