Do pre-use inspections matter? By Gavin Hutchinson, RTITB, Auditor and Examiner. +44 (0)

Transcription

1 Do pre-use inspections matter? By Gavin Hutchinson, RTITB, Auditor and Examiner +44 (0)

2 How often do we see things like this? Incidents in the Workplace +44 (0)

3 What s the first reaction? Incidents in the Workplace Poor training? Poor operating standards? No supervision?

4 Would you get on this plane?

5 Would you get on this plane?

6 Judgement We make judgements about transport and equipment all the time, and we have no problem deciding if something is so unsafe that we d rather not use it or let friends or family use it. Why does this change in the workplace?

7 The Problem Lift trucks are hard working machines and they can quickly start looking like they re past their best. It s harder to make a judgement based on appearance alone. A regular operator inspection is needed to ensure that the equipment is safe to use.

8 Incidents in the Workplace What s the first reaction? Poor training? Poor operating standards? No supervision? Equipment failure?

9 Several years ago the Health and Safety Executive released a report into contributory factors in lift truck incidents. What does this have to do with MHE? 18% were found to have mechanical failure as a causal factor

10 Further research by the HSE investigated 40 incidents involving mechanical failures on counterbalance lift trucks: What does this have to do with MHE? In 15% of the cases operators were injured In 13% of the cases pedestrians were injured 3% of the incidents resulted in a visiting goods vehicle driver being injured

11 Most faults could have been identified during a simple preuse inspection: What does this have to do with MHE? Chain anchorage 23% Mast/carriage 18% Attachment 18% Forks 8% Lift/tilt mechanism 8% Braking system 8% Steering system 8% Transmission 5% Trailer/container floor 5%

12 As part of our International Forklift Operator of the Year 2016 competition, we asked entrants to identify correct and incorrect pre-use inspection practices during the online theory round. What percentage of entrants do you think had difficulty with: RTITB s own findings Fork checks Mast checks Carriage plate checks Hydraulics checks Drive and braking checks Answers in a while

13 How many people in the room regularly inspect their car for faults? Pre-use inspection: mystery or chore? If not, why not? There s never the time I don t know what to check I don t know how to check it I wouldn t know what to do if a fault was found It ll be fine

14 Pre-use inspection: mystery or chore? 40% of cars fail their MOT first time, which suggests that we are not that conscientious about car condition or roadworthiness. Strange when you consider the catastrophic results of some car part failures.

15 The same attitudes prevail in the workplace with MHE: Pre-use inspection: mystery or chore? There s never the time I don t know what to check I don t know how to check it I wouldn t know what to do if a fault was found It ll be fine The truth is, there s a lot on a lift truck that could go wrong.

16 General Ignorance As the results from our online testing for Operator of the Year 2016 showed, sometimes operator knowledge might be the difference between a defect being spotted in time or not.

17 RTITB s own findings (based on Operator of the Year 2016 results) 22% of entrants did not know how to check the forks correctly The HSE s research showed that 8% of the incidents they investigated involved fork defects Fork wear and tear/failure causes serious safety issues and stock damage.

18 RTITB s own findings (based on Operator of the Year 2016 results) 48% of entrants did not know how to check the mast correctly. 31% were unclear on carriage plate checks The HSE s research showed that 18% of the incidents they investigated involved mast/carriage defects If the lift truck is used when the mast is damaged, the truck could become inoperable; erratic mast performance could also occur, causing loss of load and damage to infrastructure. Pedestrians and operators are at risk from falling loads.

19 65% of entrants did not know how to check driving and braking correctly RTITB s own findings (based on Operator of the Year 2016 results) The HSE s research showed that 8% of the incidents they investigated involved braking defects, 5% related to transmission issues Drive and braking defects clearly represent a risk to everybody in the workplace, in particular pedestrians. There is also a significant risk to stock and equipment through collisions.

20 23% of entrants did not know how to check the lift chains correctly RTITB s own findings (based on Operator of the Year 2016 results) The HSE s research showed that 8% of the incidents they investigated involved lifting mechanism faults If lift chains fail, the fork carriage, the forks, and the load could crash to the ground. The chains could also jam in the mast, rendering the lift truck unusable. Ultimately, damage to product stock and infrastructure is inevitable and there is a high risk of injury to anybody nearby

21 RTITB s own findings (based on Operator of the Year 2016 results) 25% of entrants did not know how to check the hydraulics correctly Oil leakage depletes the oil level in the reservoir, which means the forks will not go to the highest level. In the long term, the hydraulics will cease functioning and the pump assembly could potentially be destroyed - a very expensive repair. A sudden rupture in the hydraulics could also seriously injure people near the truck. Hydraulic oil can be carcinogenic.

22 Compare pre-use inspection knowledge with operating knowledge: RTITB s own findings 4% of subjects did not know to use a horn when going round a blind corner 2% did not identify safety issues with putting limbs outside the safety cage 1% failed to identify that parking a truck in a pedestrian walkway was a problem Pre-use inspection is clearly a problem that needs to be tackled

23 This issue is as much about attitude as it is education. What can you do? Operators and their immediate supervisors need to know: What needs to be checked Why it needs to be checked How it should be checked Encourage operators to ask if they are not sure

24 What can you do? Check procedures: Is there an official check sheet? Are operators forced to record nil defects? Are they required to write details or just tick a box? Is there accountability? Do operators have to sign the inspection sheet? What steps should be taken when a defect is found?

25 When is a pre-use inspection not a pre-use inspection? Being able to spot when pre-use inspections aren t being carried out properly is vitally important for operator safety and everybody else s safety. Can you spot the problems?

26 What can you do? Check procedures: Are your supervisors and managers able to recognise when inspections aren t being carried out properly? Are your supervisors encouraged to do random checks on pre-use inspections throughout the shift? Promote the importance of this issue through your supervisory staff and management

27 A significant problem Poor pre-use inspection practices are a significant problem in many workplaces. Rightly, a lot of emphasis is put on operating standards, but this shouldn t be at the expense of fundamental safety checks that all operators should be carrying out. Check your procedures today to help maintain high safety standards and maximise productivity.

28 The training industry is doing their part too 30th January 2017, the Accrediting Bodies Association for Workplace Transport, of which RTITB is a founding member, announced the release of the revised Basic Operating Skills Test for Counterbalance (B1) and Reach (D1 & D2) trucks. This must be used from 1st September 2017 for all accredited training and testing You will find a sample copy of this on your chair

29 Any Questions?