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Young Workers and Forklifts are a Deadly Combination

Young Workers and Forklifts are a Deadly Combination
The numbers of workers getting injured in forklift related accidents are mostly young workers. There are a disproportionate number of forklift accidents relating to young workers and that may be due to various reasons like lack of training, risk taking and inexperience.

According to the OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard, employers must see to it that the powered industrial trucks are operated by a person competent enough to operate the truck safely. They must have a successful completion of training and evaluation. Workers under 18 are prohibited from using the forklifts at the non-agricultural industries and under 16 in agricultural industries.

These rules have come up to protect young workers from dreadful injuries. Forklift related accidents with young workers happen partly as a matter of poor judgment, inexperience, lack of training and supervision.

To curb this problem, it is very necessary to train employees before they undertake any forklift operations. The OSHA safety training includes a section on forklift hazards and the ways to control the hazards. The OSHA training courses also deal with key areas as hazard communication, back safety, general workplace safety, OSHA requirements, and many more. Help your employees to stay safe with the training.

Forklift accidents are costly to both employees and the organizations. Identifying the hazards related to forklifts can reduce the hazards and help employees operate the truck safely.

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