Forklifts

Forklift safety can be improved when workers and businesses work together.

Forklifts (also called industrial lift trucks) are used to lift, stack and transfer loads in many workplaces across NSW. However, every year they continue to cause workplace deaths and injuries resulting in substantial financial and human costs for workers, industry and the community.

The three main reasons workers are killed or seriously injured in forklift incidents are:

being hit or crushed by a forklift
being hit or crushed by a load that the forklift is moving
being crushed in a forklift tip-over.

Some practical tips to help keep workers safe are:

separate people from moving forklifts, using barriers or guardrails
if you cannot physically separate forklifts from people, clearly mark walkways and safe work zones, and make sure your workers stick to them
make sure forklift operators only move loads that are stable on the pallet or use an attachment if needed
make sure your forklift operators wear a seat belt
make sure your workers and visitors, including delivery drivers, stick to your traffic management plan and site safety rules
talk to all of your workers - including operators and those who work near forklifts - about how to work safely around forklifts.

Forklift incidents can be prevented, especially when workers and businesses work together to improve health and safety at work.

Forklift safety compliance

To increase awareness of forklift related risks, SafeWork NSW commenced its forklift safety compliance project in June 2021, however due to COVID-19 the project was suspended. In November 2021, the forklift safety compliance project recommenced, with Inspectors visiting sites across the Sydney Metropolitan area with a focus on:

high-risk work licences
traffic management
forklift maintenance
wearing of seatbelts
appropriate use of forklift attachments to ensure loads being shifted were secure.

Read the NSW Forklift Safety Report