OVERTURNING AND TIPPING

Overturning poses the most danger to forklift operators in the workplace.
It is a leading cause of deaths involving forklifts, accounting for one in six deaths. When an operator jumps or is thrown from an overturning forklift, more often than not they end up trapped under the overturned forklift and a fatality occurs.
A major cause of forklifts tipping over is when the forks are elevated with no load. This is made worse if the mast is tilted back. Forklifts tipping over contribute to a large proportion of forklift fatalities.
WorkSafe funded research identified 10 key concerns in relation to forklift stability:
1. Most rollovers involve unladen forklifts, making the truck more unstable than a laden forklift with the load being carried low.
2. When operators apply the brakes on a laden forklift they easily lose stability.
3. Even when stationary, forklifts have a small stability safety margin – 30-50% at rated load with the load down and 15-20% with a fully elevated load and mast vertical.
4. Manufacturers information does not always detail if the forklift’s working capacity has been restricted by stability tests relating to (lateral) overturning or (longitudinal) tip over.
5. Manufacturers do not always include vital information, such as the forklift’s capacity at full forward tilt of the mast and at maximum load elevation, in their sales information.
6. Uneven flooring, particularly with a height difference in excess of 20 mm across the front wheels, can seriously impact on a forklift’s stability when carrying its rated load at full height.
7. When undertaking high lifts, particularly over four metres, dual wheel forklifts should always be used.
8. When driving with a raised load or a raised empty load carriage, a forklift may become ‘dangerously’ unstable.
9. Loads attached to a forklift or suspended from a jib attachment are more likely to result in a full forward tip over when braking.
10.Forklifts can easily overturn if they make contact with overhead structures.
Lift capacity, the maximum load supported by the lift, and vertical lift travel
are the most important forklift specifications to be considered in order to
prevent forklift instability incidents.