When I started working with my Uncle Bob last summer, I assumed that construction would be an easy, fun way to make a few extra bucks. However, I quickly discovered that construction work was serious business, filled with risks, difficulty, and rewards. After almost being creamed by a few backhoe booms, I learned how to stay out of the way. However, staying safe around heavy machinery isn't always easy to do. My blog talks about how to use machinery properly and what you need to do to stay safe so that you can return home to your family each and every day.
Staying Safe Around Heavy Machinery
Three Tips For Adding Forklifts To Your Enterprise
Ashley Hayes
Forklifts can be essential for businesses that need to regularly move large and heavy items. Unfortunately, there are many business owners that may not give much of a thought about the safety issues that can accompany the use of these machines. To help you minimize this risk, you will want to be mindful of a few basic forklift safety tips.
Have Operators Certified In Forklift Safety
A forklift can be a surprisingly complicated device to operate, which can present potentially serious hazards when the forklift will be operated near other employees. In order to help avoid accidental injuries and other damages, you should have any forklift operators undergo a rigorous training course. These courses will familiarize them with basic safety practices for avoiding injuries and damages. While your employee will need to attend these courses over several days, this can be a minor inconvenience for ensuring that you are not liable for accidental injuries or damages.
Notify Your Insurance Provider
Before you allow workers to start using the forklift, you will need to notify your insurance provider of this addition. There are many providers that will require you to purchase an addendum for covering these devices. Without this type of special coverage, you may find that your policy will not cover any injuries or damages that result from using these machines.
Install Security Cameras
Forklifts can be extremely expensive investments to make, and you will want to make sure that you are taking steps to keep them safe from theft and vandalism. As a result of this, you should consider installing security cameras in the area where the forklifts are stored and used.
While this may seem like it will be an expensive investment for you to make, it may provide other benefits that can help make this expense worthwhile. In instances where someone is injured by the forklift, this video may be able to help to establish whether they were responsible for the accident. If the injured person was liable for their own injuries, you may be able to use this security footage to shield yourself from this liability.
Using a forklift may be one of the more routine tasks that your employees will need to do. However, you will want to make sure that any operators are certified in forklift safety, realizing the need to notify your insurance about the addition of equipment and installing security cameras where the forklifts will be used and kept. Taking these steps can help to minimize the risks to your enterprise.
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