How To Survive Forklift Truck Accidents
It may surprise you to learn that a large number of forklift truck accidents occur across the country on a very regular basis. The purpose of a seatbelt differs widely between a car and a forklift truck. In a car, a seatbelt is designed to protect and restrain the driver and passengers in the event of a high speed collision. This prevents the driver and passengers from colliding or impacting with the interior of the car. People often wonder why forklift trucks have seatbelts as they travel at a much slower pace.
It may seem strange therefore that seatbelts on forklift trucks are not designed to protect the driver in the event of a collision. Instead these seatbelts are designed to stop the driver from succumbing to the fatal urge to jump when a forklift truck overturns. In many cases the process where a forklift truck begins to topple or overturn begins slowly, due to this a number of drivers have in the past felt the urge to jump free. This can be a fatal exercise, this is because if an operator begins to slip in their seat or is tempted to jump free as the forklift begins to topple they run the risk of having being trapped or crushed between the truck’s overhead guard and the floor. The seatbelt in a forklift truck is designed to keep the driver in the relative safety of their seat in the cabin.
Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for Coroner’s Inquests to detail more gruesome and more tragic accounts of how in forklift truck accidents, drivers make attempts to escape from the cabin as it begins to topple. These reports recount a common tale, often in these attempted escapes to save their lives the driver commonly dies. Due to this Handling Equipment Online has provided some tips in order to help your workforce from having any forklift truck accidents.
If the driver of a forklift truck is not wearing a seatbelt, or the truck does not have one, they can attempt to stay safe by following these three tips:
- Lean in the opposite direction to the one in which the truck is tipping.
- Grip the steering wheel firmly, alternatively grab hold of the handles, this measure will dramatically improve the drivers chances of staying in their seat.
- Push down directly onto their feet, doing this pushes the driver back into their seat.
In the unfortunate case of being involved in a forklift truck accident, if the driver keeps their nerve and remains in the cabin, securing themselves in place using the three above tips, the driver may be bruised. However there have been virtually no fatalities recorded for this type of accident. However it has been shown that no amount of training can prevent some drivers from attempting to jump free from the truck. Due to this the only safety precaution which seems to have been proven to be effective in this scenario is to wear a seatbelt.
