NATIONAL FORKLIFT
SAFETY DAY
All this helps fleet operators detect and address potential
problems, making it less probable that a forklift will fail
during operation and, in general, reducing the likelihood
of accidents, says Bob Hasenstab, senior product manager
for Kion North America. To achieve safety goals, he
advises, “maintenance should include more than replacing
‘normal wear’ parts; rather, it involves keeping an eye on
the whole forklift with a checklist of items that should be
inspected regularly.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) and the applicable industry standard—ANSI/ITSDF
B56.1—mandate that operators conduct a daily inspection
of their lift trucks. OSHA and B56.1 provide guidelines
for these inspections to aid facilities
in creating their own application-
specific form. However, the employer is
responsible for ensuring that operators
are trained in how to inspect each piece
of equipment they use, says David
Matthews, fleet operations manager for
Hyster-Yale Group Inc. Each facility’s
inspection processes and checklists
should reflect its own unique combination
of equipment, personnel, products, and
physical environment, he adds.
In Matthews’ view, the two types of
inspections complement each other. He
cites the following example: A technician
doing periodic maintenance may see a forklift every three
months. In an operation with three shifts a day, seven days
a week, that same forklift would undergo, on average,
85 pre-shift inspections a month, or 255 inspections
between scheduled maintenance sessions. Operators and
technicians have different knowledge and responsibilities,
but if everyone treats forklift maintenance proactively, he
says, “we can avoid downtime and potential safety issues.”
CHOOSE TRUSTWORTHY TECHNICIANS
With operators’ safety—perhaps even their lives—on the
line, fleet managers should be choosy about whom they
entrust with maintenance and repair. OSHA regulations
state that repairs must be made by “authorized personnel,”
notes Don C. Buckman, environmental health and safety
manager and corporate responsibility leader for Yale
Materials Handling. That means “those qualified to work
on trucks need to be both company-authorized [by the
OEM] and trained to specific levels of expertise” through a
formal training program, he says.
The OEMs designed their trucks and know best how
to maintain and repair them. “Factory-trained dealer
technicians are best qualified to perform maintenance and
repairs to factory specifications,” Kion’s Hasenstab says. In
addition, “these technicians will have access to the latest
training materials, parts, and service diagnostic software.”
Most end users do rely on their dealers to handle
maintenance, but those with large fleets will often have
their own technicians on staff. Regardless of whom they
work for, though, technicians must be trained on the
specific makes and models they’re maintaining, says David
T. Nicolette, technical trainer at Clark Material Handling.
One reason is that each manufacturer has its own way of
designing, building, and servicing its products—even the
way a particular model is safely jacked and blocked during
service may differ from other models, he
says.
Another reason is that there’s an
enormous difference between, say, an
IC counterbalanced sit-down and an
order picker. “You could put the best
IC technician you ever met to work on a
reach truck, and he wouldn’t know [what
he was doing],” Matthews says.
Being up to date on the technology
aspect of maintenance is increasingly
important. The days when technicians
could do most of their work with a wrench
are long gone, says John Rosenberger,
director of iWarehouse Gateway and
global telematics at The Raymond Corp. “Many pieces
of the truck incorporate technology now,” so today’s
technicians must know how to identify and fix a problem
related to electronics, he says. “They need a lot more
knowledge tools in their bag.”
Effective technician training typically combines
classroom education with other methods such as
instructional videos and virtual-reality simulation, hands-
on supervised practice, and field training alongside
experienced technicians. The programs are also designed
to move technicians through various stages of expertise
over time. Just one of many possible examples is Yale’s
ProTech program, where technicians can progress
through four main levels of certification, with the two
most advanced levels broken down into four specific
certifications. The path from beginner to the highest,
“Gold Elite,” level typically takes from five to eight years
to complete, according to Yale.
Another approach is that adopted by Crown Equipment
Corp. According to Craig Bruns, vice president, customer
support, Crown’s “demonstrated performance” method
was adapted from the U.S. military and the automotive
