Forklift was backing up................

In some shape or form moveable equipment is one hazard which is found in every plant in our industry. This hazard is unique when compared to all the other hazards our plants deal with because they can be located in one spot and the next minute in another spot. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story that emphasizes the importance of separating pedestrians from moveable equipment:

A 54-year-old man is dead after being hit by a forklift early one morning during the week of August 9, 2015.

The collision occurred around 3:20 a.m. at an aluminium company in Canada. The machine hit the man while it was backing up.

Provincial police and the Workplace Health and Safety Board are investigating, but say the death was likely accidental.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased’s family, friends, and coworkers. We pray that overtime that their pain will lessen, and maybe just maybe they will remember how their loved one lived versus how he died.

What we hope is that no one ever dies from a forklifts again. There a myriad of safety programs that aluminium companies have installed to minimize or better yet, eliminate the interaction of pedestrians with moveable equipment. The mitigating of this hazard has become so important that the Aluminum Association has added this topic to their agenda for the Casthouse Safety Workshops.

The installation of a light that shines behind the moveable equipment has been used by many in our industry as a simple method of warning pedestrians of a reversing vehicle. There a number of companies that offer this equipment. The APSB found this video on Youtube.

In addition the Aluminum Times magazine had an article about moveable equipment.

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