Lift truck survey: Maintain good maintenance

by Jim Kaletta, Guest Columnist -- Modern Materials Handling, 11/1/2008

Maintenance shouldn't become so routine that safe practices get overlooked. Here's a look at some common maintenance issues and how to keep both operators and maintenance techs safe.

Pre-use inspection

• Provide adequate time for training on how to conduct quality inspections and enough time for inspection prior to use.

• Review current inspection checklist for ease of use and completeness. Don't make it burdensome.

• Develop checklists so all responses are not indicated with a yes or no. Also consider revising the format and the location of inspection items to identify or prevent pencil-whipping the checklist.

• Periodically observe operators completing their inspections.

• Compare the lift trucks' current condition to their most recent inspections. Are the operators' inspections thorough enough?

Battery changing & maintenance

• Supervisors should ensure everyone is wearing the right gear, including approved face shields, safety glasses, full-length rubber aprons, and rubber acid-resistive gloves with 6 to 8-inch gauntlets. Leather, cloth and latex gloves are NOT acceptable.

• Use only non-conductive tools to service and clean batteries. Using conductive tools could damage the battery or worse, injure employees.

• Build adequate battery cool-down time into your battery charging and rotation process to extend battery life and ensure optimal lift truck function.

• Examine your battery retention plate replacement process. The operator and the battery tech should ensure that the plate is in place and secure to prevent battery ejection. Place the retention plate on the lift truck's dead man switch if possible or place it in the operator compartment as a reminder.

Propane

• Remind employees to turn off propane tanks when lift trucks are being serviced.

• Change out propane tanks only in designated areas with adequate ventilation and free from ignition sources.

• Keep the engine properly tuned and remain current with preventive maintenance to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.

• Periodically conduct air sampling and monitoring for carbon monoxide in areas where trucks are operated.

Lockout/tagout

• If a pre-use inspection identifies a problem, tag out the lift truck and take it out of service until repaired.

• Place a cord or plug lockout device over the battery cable or propane hose to prevent the truck from being started. (If possible, attach the plug cover on the hose/cable directly attached to the truck.)

• Place a substantial chain through the steering wheel and through the mast and lock/tag the chain together to prevent the steering wheel from moving.

• When the carriage and mast must be raised during servicing, secure them with a block or chain to prevent the carriage or mast from falling.

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