A forklift is an essential tool for many businesses. It’s estimated that over a million forklifts are in operation across the United States. While useful, these machines can lead to severe injuries and losses.
Safety measures are often in place to reduce forklift accidents, however, it’s impossible to predict everything. Here are a few common causes of forklift accidents:
Inexperience and lack of training
One of the biggest causes of forklift accidents is caused by inexperience and lack of training. Forklifts are not easy to operate. Employees should go through extensive training to learn how to control a forklift safely. Furthermore, many employees will operate forklifts around people and other machinery. Experience is essential to operate a forklift around others. Without proper training and experience, a worker could be seriously injured.
Drug and alcohol abuse
Drinking or using illicit drugs while working can result in serious injuries for employees. Many substances can affect an employee’s judgment, which can therefore cause them to operate a forklift recklessly. An employee under the influence of drugs or alcohol may not realize how their actions lead to safety concerns.
When a worker is injured by a forklift, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits can help cover an employee’s medical bills and lost wages. Injured employees must go through an injury claim process to be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. The more employees understand their legal rights, the better chance they have of getting benefits.