Watch for helpers (Forklift accident)

[ScottAR]

An accident happened at my work this week. I wasn't there so I don't know all the ins and outs, but here's the short version. At the big box, a forklift must have a spotter where customers are present. Two guys were moving sheetrock with our large lift which weighs around 11,500 pounds without load. The spotter was standing very close to the lift and looked away for a moment, and the lift backed over his foot. Obivously, the spotter has several fractures including a broken arch.
Things like this can happen in a split second!
Pay attention!
If you have helpers, watch out for one another....

 

[chim]

A couple years ago, one of our supers was injured while a crane was setting up. The operator and the super were standing on opposite sides of the truck-mounted crane (in plain sight of each other and talking back and forth). The operator lowered the outrigger pad right onto the super's foot, causing similar injuries....................chim

 

[AndyM]

I had my foot run over by a lift truck several years ago. I was talking to the operator, and he started to drive away when we were finished. Unfortunately, he had the steering wheels turned sharply while he was parked, and when he took off, it swung around and over my foot. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

This is going to spark a re-newed debated over safe vs. unsafe, but if I didn't have steel toed boots on, it would have crushed my foot. Over the years, I've heard many people say that steel toes will do more damage than good, but I can testify that they saved my toes! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[sleepyhollow]

AndyM,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Over the years, I've heard many people say that steel toes will do more damage than good )</font>

This is the fist time I've heard this. I'm just curious, what was the reasoning behind that idea? I was thinking about getting some steel toed boot but now I'd like to see the arguments against them if there are any? Thanks,
Sleepyhollow

 

[Bird]

Steel toed boots are great for protecting your toes from certain amounts of weight falling on them or running over them, but if something heavy enough to crush the steel toe gets on them, then you may not be able to get the boot off without taking off the toes or part of the foot. Now of course you might say that if something that heavy gets on your toes and you don't have the steel toed boots, you'd have lost the toes anyway. The other argument I've heard is that the steel toed boots give you a false sense of security; i.e., you don't worry about things getting on your toes and don't try as hard to keep your toes out of danger until something heavy enough to crush the steel gets on them.

In other words, there are arguments for and against the steel toed boots. I sure don't know whether they're a good idea or not; guess it just depends on your individual circumstances.

 

[AndyM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This is the fist time I've heard this. I'm just curious, what was the reasoning behind that idea? I was thinking about getting some steel toed boot but now I'd like to see the arguments against them if there are any? )</font>

The arguement is exactly what Bird said. Some people said if something heavy enough fell on their boot, it would push the steel and cut off their toes. After being run over with a fork lift, I disagree with that point. In fact, I'm never on the tractor without them, or using the push mower without them, for that matter.

 

[MossRoad]

I've heard those same arguments and always figured if it was heavy enough to crush the steel in the shoes and cut off my toes, it was probably heavy enough to crush my toes beyond repair anyway had I not had steel tips, so I always wore them when required. I remember several times dropping quart cans of motor oil on my toes, wrenches, chains, bricks, etc... and they just bounced off my feet. Very nice.

I thought about them when I was wrenching on my brush hog raised to chest height in my open toe sandles yesterday /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Hoeman00]

My friend and I both have broken our little toes w/ things falling and of course hitting the little toe which isn't covered by the steel toe.
I've worn steel toe shoes since freshman year in high school (1979 ) a long time ago.
I don't think I've owned over a half dozen tennis shoes in that same time.
I'm in my dura shock boots close to 18 hours a day.

At GM they have started a 2 feet policy, always stay 2 feet away from forktrucks or tows and driver must put forks on floor when stopped.
This gives u time to move back while the operator lifts his forks back up.

 

[ScottAR]

Little update, The injured party is on light duty, which since he can't walk, is answering the phones. The driver has lost his lift license (imagine that!) for 90 days and will have to take retraining.

I have an "arm's length" rule. If I have to get close to a lift, I put my fist on the machine and keep my arm all the way extended so I know where it is without having to look.

 

[pruntyc]

There are too many companys requireing you to wear steel toed shoes in order to work there, for them not to be the best for safety. I have worked places if you didn't have them and wear them you didn't work. And the unions back them on it. So I don't think there really is an argument against them. Not one that matters to anyone anyway. The companys don't want sued and it is for their protection, that you be safe. So if they weren't better, instead of worse the company wouldn't require you to wear them. And I believe that to be a fact.