OSHA Standard for Powered Industrial Truck

Powered industrial trucks (PIT) cause only 1% of all warehouse accidents. Yet they account for 10% of injuries in those worksites. Each year, forklifts are involved in more than 90,000 accidents throughout the U.S. Sixty-one thousand cause minor injury; almost 35,000 result in serious injury. Around 85 result in death of the driver or other workers.

Forklifts present workplace hazards for many reasons:

• They can weigh up to 9,000 lbs. (three times heavier than many cars)
• They load and unload heavy weights from high places
• They only have brakes in the front, making them harder to stop
• Uneven weight distribution can make them hard to handle
• Rear-wheel drive increases the chance of tipovers
• Full loads on the forks can obstruct the driver’s view