We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! We’re getting excited for the Christmas season and will be decking our halls this week. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for pics.
In this November 2012 IVES Update Newsletter we have some material revisions to tell you about, a new WorkSafeBC Guideline to share, an Ask Bob question on battery charging, a new training location announcement, a What’s Wrong With This? picture, as well as details on an OSHA excavation violation and forklift mining accident fatality.
Revised Operator Training Materials Coming in 2013
Heads up all of you counterbalanced and rough terrain forklift operator trainers; there are some significant revisions on the way that are set for release January 2, 2013. They are as follows:
Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Reference Manual – Nothing too earth shattering here, just a few modifications to bring it up to snuff with the newest industry specifications and add emphasis to important safety information.
Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Digital Training Aid (DTA) – Again, nothing too significant. We added some additional information to several of the frames but did not change any of the images or the order of the frames themselves.
Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Final Written Theory Test – This test is significantly revised in that it has gone from 10 to 20 questions (70% passing grade) and no longer requires operators to write any text. The answer key for this new test will be posted on our website for you to download.
Rough Terrain Operator Reference Manual – We have replaced the telehandler load charts with more current, easy to read versions and have included some exercises on using them within the book. There are also some revisions to the wording and images in the Calculation Load Capacity section.
Keep an eye out for the December IVES Update in which we will provide detailed information on all of these revisions.
What’s Wrong With This?
This month’s photo was submitted to us by one our trainers – thanks Nick! Take a look at the picture below and note down all the safety hazards you can find. We’ll share our answers in December’s Update.
Answer To Last Month’s
In October we shared a photo of a giant pumpkin loaded onto a forklift. Due to the size, shape and weight distribution of the load, the pumpkin was likely beyond the 24 inch rated load center of the truck and wasn’t properly secured onto the pallet, leaving the potential for it to shift unsafely during transport. Secondly, the two people riding on the front of the truck is very unsafe and definitely against regulation. Passengers are not allowed in or on the forklift while in operation unless the forklift is specifically designed with a passenger seat.
New Location!
We are very excited to announce our newest training location in Middletown, New York, approximately 70 miles north of New York City. IVES has partnered with Benjamin Enterprises, a leading provider of Workforce Solutions that integrate a broad range of resources. Here’s our 2013 NY schedule, you may click any of the links for program details:
- April 15-18 Premium Forklift Trainer
- April 19 Rough Terrain Forklift Trainer Upgrade
- May 6-8 Aerial Lifts Trainer
New WorkSafeBC Guidelines
Guidelines are intended to assist with providing ways of complying with the legislation, not to provide exclusive interpretations. Guidelines generally provide information on administrative matters and on technical matters not already addressed by policy.
G16.19 Load Handling Attachments – Forklifts
This guideline provides information regarding the Regulation requirements pertaining to installation, written instructions regarding safe use and stability, and determination of rated capacity when a forklift (also known as a lift truck) is fitted with a load handling attachment.
This guideline addresses four main topics: Installation requirements, Safe use and stability instructions, Nameplates, and Rated capacity.
Read the Guideline here.
BUSTED!
ANDOVER, Mass. – As part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor, a Hyde Park contractor with a long history of violating excavation safety standards, has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine for exposing its employees to cave-in hazards. The contractor also will significantly overhaul its safety practices to minimize trenching hazards and enhance worker safety.
The company, which primarily works on underground water and sewer mains, has been cited nine times since 2000 by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violations of OSHA’s trenching and excavation safety standards, most recently in 2011 at work sites in Cambridge and Framingham.
OSHA found employees working in unprotected trenches at both locations and issued citations carrying $354,000 in proposed fines. The company contested the citations. The department’s regional solicitor’s office crafted the settlement agreement, which goes beyond simple correction of the cited hazards.
“The company will be paying a hefty fine, but more importantly, it will be investing heavily in the safety and health of all of its workers through a very significantly ramped up safety and health program,” said Christine Eskilson, OSHA’s counsel in the department’s Regional Office of the Solicitor in Boston. “This company has now committed itself to entirely re-engineering its safety and health processes, and we intend to hold the company to that commitment.”
In addition to paying the fine, the company will notify OSHA of all excavation jobs to be undertaken by the company in the next three years, and allow OSHA inspectors free access to enter and inspect the work sites without a warrant, as well as provide documents related to the work being performed at the sites. The company also will develop and put into effect a comprehensive safety and health program that includes an annual audit by an independent, qualified safety and health consultant. Finally, the company will develop and implement a permit system for all of its excavations that will identify and evaluate the hazards of each operation prior to digging, and specify the means by which those hazards will be controlled.
“We are pleased that this employer has decided to make a meaningful commitment to safety by pledging resources and upgrading its excavation practices, as well as implementing a comprehensive safety and health program,” said Marthe Kent, OSHA’s regional administrator for New England. “We encourage other employers to explore and pursue this approach to better safeguard their employees against everyday work site hazards.”
Source: OSHA News Release
Incident Report
On October 24, 2012, a 52-year old utility miner with 19 years of experience was killed on the surface of an underground limestone mine. He was operating a forklift, traveling on a decline toward the mine entrance, when the forklift went out of control. The forklift struck a concrete support for the belt conveyor and overturned, killing him.
This is the sixteenth fatality reported in 2012 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2011, there were ten fatalities reported in these industries. This is the sixth powered haulage fatality this year, compared to two in the same period last year.
Source: Mine Safety and Health Administration
Online Prize Draw Closed
Our Prize Draw has closed as of October 31, 2012. Every person who placed an online training material order or online registration was entered in to win one of our grand prizes. Winners will be announced soon!
On-Site Training
IVES has been training at our customers’ locations for over 30 years! Where a group of eight or more operators, or multiple types of equipment training are required, our Train the Trainer option versus on-site operator training is a convenient, cost effective method to ensure your operators are qualified for the equipment they operate.
Now it’s easier than ever to request a custom on-site quote!
Ask Bob
Q: During a safety inspection, we observed battery powered equipment being charged inside a building. Is this allowed and, if so, is there a specific standard which provides air flow rates? Thanks for your assistance.
A: Yes, you are allowed to charge inside the building, as long as the charging takes place in a “designated” and “well-ventilated” area. ANSI B56.1, section 4.7.1 states that “Battery changing and charging facilities and procedures shall be in accordance with ANSI/NFPA 505″.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 505) states in section 8.3, that there must be “adequate ventilation for dispersal of fumes from gassing batteries.” However, the NFPA does not list any specific air flow rates for the ventilation of battery charging areas. I believe the determination of adequate ventilation is based upon the level (usually measured in parts per million) of fumes or gases that is permitted to accumulate during charging rather than air flow rates.
Please be sure to check your local regulations for your applicable rules.
Trainer’s Corner
Remember, if you make a mistake on your operator documentation, strike it out with a single line and initial it. If you really make a mess you can start again, but don’t discard the original! Staple the original to the back of your new evaluation form and retain it with the rest of the documentation.
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