Rough and (No) Tumble: Selecting the Right Forklift for Rough Terrain

www.lencrowgroup.com.au

“Between 2006-2008, Comcare accepted 177 claims where forklifts were involved, costing employers nearly $1.4 million.”

When it comes to forklifts, many mine sites use industrial models which are designed for use on hard, level surfaces. But most mine sites feature a range of surfaces, from the hard surface of the warehouse to the rocky uneven terrain of the pits.

This means miners are either limited in their ability to use the forklift for a range of applications, or they end up using the forklift for the wrong task. Using the wrong forklift can lead to a number of issues with safety, downtime and inefficiency.

Introduction

Operating a forklift safely requires the driver to have specialist knowledge and this knowledge must be localised to the work site. All forklift operators are required to hold a current High Risk Work License and be properly trained [1], which speaks to the potentially dangerous nature of this work.

In Australia, during the period 2000 to 2007, there were more than 7,400 work-related injuries where forklift trucks were the nominated Agency of Accident. During the period 2006/07 – 2007/08, Comcare (the government agency responsible for workplace safety, rehabilitation and compensation) accepted 177 claims where forklifts were involved, costing employers nearly $1.4 million [2].

Forklift safety is such a concern that the Queensland Government’s Dept of Natural Resources and Mines have seen fit to issue a warning about a pervasive “lack of regard for work environment and terrain limitations” [3]. The notice goes on to explain that “natural, rough or ungraded road surfaces may not be suitable for most ordinary forklift trucks and may require rough terrain trucks designed for use in such terrain”. Driving on an unsuitable surface is citied as a major contributor to forklift truck tip-over, and these incidents can be life-threatening [4]. A man was killed at Selwyn mine when the forklift he was driving overturned, which was attributed to the site’s uneven surface [5] and in 2009, a driver claimed that driving over rough roads caused severe spinal jarring. He has made a claim for $1.6 million in compensation [6].

Risks of Using the Wrong Forklift

“Rainfall can lead to wet, muddy mine site conditions, in which standard forklifts are unable to operate.”

Lencrow is a dedicated supplier of materials handling solutions, specialising in all-terrain forklifts. The company offers 3 different brands of off road forklifts and several other brands of industrial forklifts that cover a wide variety of applications, and are one of the only companies to offer a full range of forklift capacities.

With a selection of all terrain forklifts ranging from 2t to 25t, Lencrow is committed to finding a solution to suit each organisation’s needs. Using their extensive knowledge and experience gained over 30 years in business, Lencrow will help determine the right product for your workplace and budget. Lencrow also recognises that needs change over time, with models are available for both sale and hire and a dedicated spare parts division.

A large part of forklift safety comes down to load balancing and capacity. Forklifts are designed with specific capacities in mind, and operate most efficiently and safely when these limits are adhered to [7]. Incorrect balancing (and any resulting tip-overs) can lead to costly damage and the machine being out of use until such time as it can be repaired. This leaves the company without a major piece of equipment, placing strain on operations and reducing efficiency. These issues become more pronounced on work sites that are vulnerable to the elements, such as mine sites. Rainfall can lead to wet, muddy conditions in the pit areas of mine sites and standard forklifts will be unable to operate in these conditions. Workers must then either use a different means of retrieving the load to get it to where the forklift can be used, or wait until conditions become more favourable. The resulting downtime would be unacceptable when simply having the right equipment in the first place would render this issue irrelevant.

Solution

40-41 Egerton Street SilverwaterNSW, 2128

salessyd@lencrow.com.au+61 (2) 9352 1000

1/12 Zenith Road Dandenong

VIC, 3175

salesmelb@lencrow.com.au+61 (3) 9791 9244

11 Shettleston StreetRocklea

QLD, 4106

salessyd@lencrow.com.au+61 (7) 3277 5240

[1] ComCare, “Forklift safety: Reducing the risks”, 2012: http://www.comcare.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/112327/Forklift_saftey_Reducing_the_risks.pdf [2] ComCare, “National campaign into forklift safety”, May 2012:http://www.comcare.gov.au/news__and__media/news_listing/government_and_industry_leaders_meet_professor_sir_mansel_aylward2[3] Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources & Mines, “Use of forklift trucks at mine & quarry sites”, March 2002:http://mines.industry.qld.gov.au/assets/inspectorate/safety_bulletin030.pdf [4] Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources & Mines, “Use of forklift trucks at mine & quarry sites”, March 2002[5] Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources & Mines, “Brett Grant Duffie: Findings & recommendations”, October 2007:http://mines.industry.qld.gov.au/safety-and-health/Brett-DUFFIE.htm [6] Latimer, Cole, “Miner claims water truck caused spinal injuries”, Safe to Work, 26 April 2012:http://www.safetowork.com.au/news/miner-claims-water-truck-caused-spinal-injuries [7] WorkSafe Victoria, “Forklift stability & other technical safety issues”, 2003: http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/14028/Forklift_Stability_Report.pdf