Broken Forklifts Can Put Workers at Risk

Modern forklifts working in properly ventilated workplaces can perform virtually non-stop without putting workers at risk. But forklifts that are malfunctioning can be dangerous to the health and safety of everybody in the workplace.

Just ask the owners of Cleary Pallet Sales, in Genoa, Illinois. According to investigators from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the business had defective forklifts that it allowed workers to continue to use despite the fact that the vehicles were emitting close to 10 times the permissible exposure limit to carbon monoxide.

As a result, 10 workers became sick enough to require emergency treatment and last month OSHA fined the company a total of $216,253.

Carbon Monoxide Risks

Carbon monoxide can be found in the exhaust of gas- and diesel-operated forklifts. When these vehicles work outdoors, this dangerous gas is dissipated naturally into the air. But when gas-powered forklifts are driven indoors without adequate ventilation, or when the forklifts are malfunctioning and create excessive exhaust, it can create dangerous working conditions.

CO is known as the “silent killer” because it is odorless and because excessive exposure can cause symptoms that can easily be confused with something else. People with CO poisoning often experience headaches, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness, which many victims assume is the flu.

Short-term exposure to small amounts of CO typically won’t produce serious illness, but if the worker is exposed to higher amounts of CO or continued exposure, the level of poisonous CO can build up in the blood, putting the person at risk of serious illness or even death.

Preventing CO Exposure

Having CO detectors in workplaces where gas-powered forklifts is a good idea, but it is not enough. Workers at Cleary Pallets ignored CO detector alarms before they fell sick, according to OSHA.

Alarms should be combined with a high-quality ventilation system that effectively removes CO from work areas. Keeping forklifts that produce in good working order and conducting regular inspections to detect problems is also essential.

Use gas-powered forklift outdoors and switch to electric forklifts for use in enclosed indoor spaces that don’t have adequate ventilation to handle the exhaust.

Companies can also equip at-risk workers with special equipment, such as personal CO monitors with audible alarms or even full-face piece pressure demand supplied-air respirators with an auxiliary self-contained air supply for working in areas with dangerously high CO concentrations.

But the best approach is simply to educate workers about the dangers of CO exposure, including what symptoms to watch for and the importance of paying attention to alarms.