Forklift and Telehandler Toolbox Talk
A telehandler does not tip because it was overloaded. It tips because the load went out, and out is a different number than up.
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The talk, read this out
Somebody read me the rated capacity off the machine. It has to be posted where the operator can see it. If you cannot find it, that is today's first problem.
The rated capacity has to be posted on the machine, clearly visible to the operator. If counterweights can be removed, the capacity with them off has to be marked too.
That number is not one number. On a telehandler it is a chart, and the weight it can hold drops fast as the boom goes out. The same load that is fine at ten feet will put the machine on its nose at thirty.
Tipping forward is what happens when the load goes out too far. Tipping sideways is what happens on a slope or in a turn, and it happens faster because there is nothing counterweighting it.
Nobody rides on the forks and nobody rides on the load. If people have to be lifted, that is a different machine or a purpose built platform that is secured to the carriage, and it is a different conversation than this one.
Scissor points on a loader will take a hand off. They are guarded where they are a hazard in normal operation, and if the guard is missing the machine does not run.
Seat belts are on this equipment for rollover. In a rollover the instinct is to jump, and jumping is how operators end up underneath the cab they would have survived inside.
Point at these before anybody starts
A talk delivered in a trailer is a meeting. Stand where the work is and put a hand on each of these.
- The rated capacity plate. Find it and read the number out loud.
- The load chart in the cab, and the boom angle it is talking about.
- The ground where the machine will set the load down, and whether it is level.
- The forks, and whether the load is against the backrest or hanging off the tips.
- The scissor points on the loader, and whether the guard is still there.
- The seat belt in that cab, and whether it is fastened behind the operator.
The rules that apply
- Lift trucks, stackers and similar equipment must have the rated capacity clearly posted so the operator can see it, including capacity with auxiliary removable counterweights taken off.
- Seat belts must be provided on equipment covered by this section, with the narrow exceptions for standup only machines and machines with no rollover protection or canopy.
- A tractor keeps its seat belt requirement even when a backhoe, breaker or similar attachment is fitted to it.
- Scissor points on front-end loaders that are a hazard to the operator during normal operation must be guarded.
- Rollover protective structures and overhead protection are required as set out in subpart W of Part 1926.
- Bidirectional machines must have a working horn distinguishable from the surrounding noise, and equipment with an obstructed rear view is not reversed without a working reverse alarm or someone signaling it is safe.
Ask the crew
Three questions, answered out loud by name. This is the part that tells you whether anybody was listening.
- What is the capacity of that machine at full extension, not at rest?
- Where does the load go if the machine starts to tip forward?
- Who is allowed to ride on the forks?
Close with this
Read the chart, not the machine. The machine will lift things it cannot hold.
A talk nobody signed for is a talk that, as far as anybody can later prove, never happened. Use the free toolbox meeting sign in sheet in PDF, Word or Excel, or print the PDF above, which already has the signature lines on it.
Questions people ask
Can I use a pallet on the forks to lift a worker?
No. Lifting people needs equipment intended for it, with a platform secured to the carriage and the right controls. A pallet, a bucket or a pair of forks is how most of these deaths start.
Is a telehandler capacity the same as a forklift capacity?
No, and this is the common mistake. A forklift capacity is quoted at a load center. A telehandler capacity changes continuously with boom length and angle, which is why it comes as a chart and not as a single figure.
Does a rough terrain forklift need a seat belt on flat ground?
The requirement is about the machine, not about today's ground. It is provided because the machine can roll, and the ground you roll on is rarely the ground you expected to be on.
More toolbox talks
TOOLBOX TALK: FORKLIFTS AND TELEHANDLERS
Attendance
Everybody who was present signs, including subcontractors and anybody visiting the site.