Forklifts are funny sure, but they are also extremely powerful, and when manhandled, they can be extremely dangerous.
Before you try to show off your forklift pirouettes, burnouts, gaming and figure eights to your mate, consider the following do's and don'ts of driving a forklift, melodramatic though it may seem, they could save your life.
- You may trust your forklift implicitly, but never let it rest on his laurels. You need to inspect it daily to ensure everything is up to scratch. The tires, radiator, brake, fluid levels, warning lights, reverse indicator, fire extinguisher, battery, dead man control and horn should all have a good once over before you jump in your machine daily.
- While you might pride yourself on your sweet cornering skills and top speed control, forklifts unfortunately aren't actually race cars, and should thus not be treated as such. Always travel at a reasonable speed, and exercise extra caution when driving around corners, on hills and up and down ramps.
- You may think your forklift is the big man on campus, who, after years of careful iron pumping can lift far greater loads than its meager contemporaries, but unfortunately your forklift isn't designed to gain strength like you and your guns. Never lift greater than your forklift's load capacity.
- Unless you have somehow mastered x-ray vision, you will need to travel in reverse when you are carrying bulky loads that affect your driving visibility.
- You might be a gun at collecting loads at speed, but you will look a lot less of a gun if your load falls right on off upon moving. Ensure your load is stable before you move it.
- If you are taking on a hill, you will need to face the fork uphill when you have a load and downhill when the forklift is empty
- If you fancy a career at the circus, run away with them today. You may be an excellent acrobat, but hanging limbs outside of your forklift while driving won't attract attention, but will attract horrifying injury. Probably best not to eat, drink or smoke on the job either. Heavy machinery and sandwiches aren't great friends.
- There are road rules for forklifts like there are road rules for cars. And much like a car, not following the in-plant traffic rules on a forklift can be a fatal mistake. Especially where pedestrians are concerned.
- Finished for the day? Before you run home to crack your first beer, remember to lower the fork or your truck and also to remove the key.