Forklift Safety and Licensing Requirements
Quick Reference Answer Key
Legislative Requirements
- A thing or situation with potential to cause harm or damage.
- The chance of a hazard causing harm or damage.
- Ensure your own health and safety; do not put others in danger.
- License suspended or license cancelled.
- Code of Practice, Australian Standards, and Regulations.
- Provide safe plant and equipment, provide safe systems of work, and provide adequate facilities.
- Supervision and information.
Hazards – Controls and Planning
- Other workers, supervisor, and safety officer. This ensures you know workplace policies and procedures.
- Power lines, trees, awnings, roller doors, bridges, buildings, and vehicles.
- 3m, 6m, and 8m.
- Check with the local electrical authority.
- Warn others to stay clear, break contact with lines, stay in the machine if it is safe, report to an authorized person, and check before re-using.
- Tiger Tails and Marker Balls.
- Signs, barriers, and exclusion zones.
- Adequate lighting.
- The fumes could kill. Use an electric forklift instead.
- Prepare for suitable risk controls, plan the work environment, and schedule work activities.
- Because batteries could give off dangerous gases and could explode.
- Reduce speed and avoid hard braking.
- Can cause injury to persons or damage to property.
- Fuel could ignite and cause a fire.
Communication
- Verbal, written, and signs.
- Stop and seek clarification.
- Permits, location, access, communication, and egress.
Pre-start Inspection
- No visible damage, forks or attachments, mast, hydraulic rams, hoses, and data plate.
- Stop, tag, and report.
- Heat, smoke, and snow or ice.
- To maintain the stability and safety of the forklift.
- Incorrect air pressure, tyres worn below the wear indicator, tyres not securely fitted to rims, or chunks missing from the rubber.
- Manufacturer’s instructions.
- Capacity of the forklift will be reduced; the Load Center Distance (LCD) may increase.
- Overhead guard: Protects the operator from falling objects. Foot guard: Protects the feet. Load guard: Stops the load from hitting the mast and protects the operator.
- Lights, horn, and gauges.
General Operations
- Weighing the load with scales, calculating the weight, or checking markings on the load.
- Travel in reverse or use a spotter.
- To ensure the stability of the load and the safety of people.
- Uphill.
- Could result in the forklift tipping over or losing the load.
- Because there is a risk of injury or death.
- Only if it has been designed with a seat to carry more than one person.
- Height can reduce stability.
- As low as possible.
- Stability may be reduced, and it may damage the forklift.
- Unsafe speed and turning, uneven surfaces, or an uneven load.
- Carpet spike, jib, or work platform.
- Overload, hard braking, or mast tilted forward.
- Remain in the forklift and brace yourself until stationary.
- It will stop you from falling out.
- Point of balance (Fulcrum): Δ
- To maintain the stability of the forklift.
- Firm level surface, heavy or liquid goods at the bottom, and awareness that high loads may be unstable.
- Dock plates.
- Data plate.
- Reduces the load capacity, increases the center of gravity, creates a swinging load, and reduces stability.
- Stop operating and tag out.
- Load Center Distance (LCD): / /
- Stability and capacity will reduce.
- 600mm.
Shut Down
- Doorways, walkways, and emergency exits.
- Lower fork arms onto the ground, apply the park brake, and select neutral.
- To prevent unauthorized use.
Comprehensive Forklift Safety Q&A
Legislative Requirements
1. What is the definition of a hazard?
A thing or situation with potential to cause harm or damage.
2. What is the definition of risk?
The chance of a hazard causing harm or damage.
3. You have a duty of care as a worker. What are two (2) of those duties?
Ensure your own health and safety; do not put others in danger.
4. What are two (2) actions a work health and safety regulator can take if you fail to work safely when performing high-risk work in your license class?
License suspended or license cancelled.
5. List three (3) documented sources of workplace safety information.
Code of Practice, Australian Standards, and Regulations.
6. List three (3) actions an employer should take to ensure the health and safety of a worker.
Provide safe plant and equipment, provide safe systems of work, and provide adequate facilities.
7. You have just obtained your High Risk Work License. What are two (2) things your employer must provide to you prior to you undertaking work on an unfamiliar forklift?
Supervision and information.
Hazards – Controls and Planning
8. (Part 1) List three (3) people you should talk to about workplace hazards before starting work. (Part 2) Why is it important to do this?
Other workers, supervisor, and safety officer. This ensures you know workplace policies and procedures.
9. You are about to start using a forklift. List seven (7) workplace hazards you need to consider and plan for.
Power lines, trees, awnings, roller doors, bridges, buildings, and vehicles.
10. What are the minimum safe distances in a workplace near power lines?
3m, 6m, and 8m.
11. What is the best way to find out the voltage of overhead electric power lines?
Check with the local electrical authority.
12. List five (5) steps you would take if the forklift you are operating comes into contact with overhead electric power lines.
Warn others to stay clear, break contact with lines, stay in the machine if it is safe, report to an authorized person, and check before re-using.
13. List two (2) visual indicators that can be used to identify overhead electric power lines.
Tiger Tails and Marker Balls.
14. When a forklift is being used, what are three (3) control measures you can use to protect the safety of pedestrians, other workers, vehicles, or mobile plant?
Signs, barriers, and exclusion zones.
15. If you are using a forklift at night or in darkened areas, what must you ensure you have?
Adequate lighting.
16. (Part 1) Why is it dangerous to use a fuel-powered forklift (e.g., LPG, diesel, or petrol) in a space with restricted airflow? (Part 2) What type of forklift is best for this situation?
The fumes could kill. An electric forklift is best.
17. How can obtaining a weather forecast assist your planning for the day’s operations?
Prepare for suitable risk controls, plan the work environment, and schedule work activities.
18. Why must you charge batteries in a well-ventilated area?
Because batteries could give off dangerous gases and could explode.
19. What are two (2) precautions you can take when operating a forklift on a wet or slippery surface?
Reduce speed and avoid hard braking.
20. Why is ‘rear end’ swing dangerous when using a forklift?
It can cause injury to persons or damage to property.
21. What is the risk when refueling the forklift while the engine is running?
Fuel could ignite and cause a fire.
Communication
22. List three (3) ways you can communicate with people to ensure their safety while you are operating the forklift.
Verbal, written, and signs.
23. When operating a forklift, if you are given a signal by a co-worker which is unclear, what should you do?
Stop and seek clarification.
24. Other than hazards, what are five (5) things you need to plan for to ensure safe operations of the forklift?
Permits, location, access, communication, and egress.
Pre-start Inspection
25. List six (6) pre-start checks you should carry out on a forklift.
No visible damage, forks or attachments, mast, hydraulic rams, hoses, and data plate.
26. What action should you take if the data plate is damaged or unreadable?
Stop, tag, and report.
27. List three (3) possible hazards associated with weather that can affect forklift operations.
Heat, smoke, and snow or ice.
28. Why is it important to keep air-filled tyres at their right operating pressure?
To maintain the stability and safety of the forklift.
29. List four (4) defects you might find while checking the wheels and tyres.
Incorrect air pressure, tyres worn below the wear indicator, tyres not securely fitted to rims, or chunks missing from the rubber.
30. Where would you find information on the correct way of securing an attachment to the forklift?
Manufacturer’s instructions.
31. What is the likely effect on the load capacity of adding an attachment to a forklift?
Capacity of the forklift will be reduced; the LCD may increase.
Start-up Operational Checks
32. (Part 1) What are two (2) guards fitted to a forklift? (Part 2) What do these guards do?
Overhead guard: Protects the operator from falling objects.
Foot guard: Protects the feet.
Load guard: Stops the load from hitting the mast and protects the operator.
33. List three (3) operational checks you should carry out after you have started a forklift.
Lights, horn, and gauges.
General Operations
34. What are three (3) ways to find out the weight of a load?
Weighing the load with scales, calculating the weight, or checking markings on the load.
35. If your view is partially obstructed by the load when operating a forklift, what are two (2) things you would do?
Travel in reverse or use a spotter.
36. When operating a forklift, why should load movement be monitored?
To ensure the stability of the load and the safety of people.
37. Which way should a load face when travelling up a ramp?
Uphill.
38. Give two (2) reasons why it is unsafe to turn a loaded forklift on a sloping surface.
Could result in the forklift tipping over or losing the load.
39. Why is it unsafe to raise or lower a load near or over people?
Because there is a risk of injury or death.
40. When are you allowed to carry passengers in a forklift?
Only if it has been designed with a seat to carry more than one person.
41. What is the risk of travelling with the load raised high?
Height can reduce stability.
42. When driving a forklift, what is the ‘safe’ height to carry the load at?
As low as possible.
43. Give two (2) reasons why it is unsafe to carry a load on only one fork arm.
Stability may be reduced, and it may damage the forklift.
44. What are three (3) actions that may cause a forklift to tip over sideways while travelling?
Unsafe speed and turning, uneven surfaces, or an uneven load.
45. List three (3) attachments that can be fitted to a forklift other than fork arms.
Carpet spike, jib, or work platform.
46. What are three (3) actions that may cause a forklift to tip over frontwards or backwards while travelling?
Overload, hard braking, or mast tilted forward.
47. List two (2) things that you would do if the forklift is tipping over sideways.
Remain in the forklift and brace yourself until stationary.
48. Why must you always wear a seatbelt?
It will stop you from falling out.
49. Where is the point of balance (fulcrum)?
Δ
50. Why should a side-shift attachment be centralised before travelling with a load?
To maintain the stability of the forklift.
51. What three (3) things must you consider when stacking loads one on top of the other?
Firm level surface, heavy or liquid goods at the bottom, and awareness that high loads may be unstable.
52. What should be placed over the gap between a truck and a loading dock before shifting a load?
Dock plates.
53. Where would you find the rated load capacity for a forklift and any attachment used?
Data plate.
54. When using a forklift with a jib attachment, what effect does this have on the forklift?
Reduces the load capacity, increases the center of gravity, creates a swinging load, and reduces stability.
55. List two (2) things you would do in the case of forklift failure (e.g., a loss of control of brakes and/or steering, or failure of equipment including the hydraulic system).
Stop operating and tag out.
56. Indicate the load center distance (LCD) on the diagram below:
/ /
57. If the load is not hard against the heel of the fork arms, what effect will it have on a forklift?
Stability and capacity will reduce.
58. What is the most common load center distance (LCD) in millimeters?
600mm.
Shut Down
59. List three (3) places within the workplace where you would not park your forklift.
Doorways, walkways, and emergency exits.
60. List three (3) acceptable steps for parking a forklift.
Lower fork arms onto the ground, apply the park brake, and select neutral.
61. Why should you remove the ignition key when you leave the forklift unattended?
To prevent unauthorized use.