OSHA: How Lift Trucks Work

Drag and drop the items on the right to the category on the left.

Cars: -Wide wheelbase -Lower center of gravity -Front wheel steering Lift Trucks: -Rear wheel steering -Narrower wheelbase Higher center of gravity

The higher you lift the load, the less weight you can safely lift because:

-It decreases stability -The load is farther away from the forklift's fulcrum point

What types of actions can negatively affect the stability of your lift truck and possibly cause an accident?

-Jerky operation of the hydraulic system -Traveling with a raised load -Taking corners too fast -Overloading the lift truck

To prevent the lift truck from tripping over while lifting a load, you should:

-Keep the forks tilted back -Keep the load back on the forks

Greg is training a new employee on how to position the load on the forks. What should he tell the new employee to do so that the load is positioned correctly?

-Position the load back on the forks -Tilt the forks slightly back when lifting

If you are not sure how much a load weighs, you can check the load's:

-Spec sheet -Shipping papers -Order documents

Lift trucks have:

-The ability to take sharp turns -A narrower wheelbase than cars -Three points of suspension

A lift truck's load capacity can be affected by:

-Where the load center is -The height you plan to lift the load -Any attachments used

To find the load capacity of your lift truck, check the:

Data plate

Sam is ready to use a forklift to move pallets of bagged pet food. She checks the lift truck's date plate to confirm that the weight of the stacked pallets as 625 lbs. is within the truck's capacity of 650 lbs. However, when Sam lifts the pallet high into the air, the forklift tips forward. What most likely caused this to happen?

Sam failed to account for the height she planned to lift the load

The imaginary area in which a lift truck's center of gravity must remain in order to prevent the lift truck from tripping over is called the:

Stability triangle