OSHA Proposes Modernized Forklift Design Standards

Posted on 2/22/2022 by Lauren Scott

OSHA proposed to revise its standards for the design and construction of powered industrial trucks (e.g., forklifts) in the Federal Register on February 16.

OSHA adopted its first regulations concerning powered industrial trucks in 1971, based on 1969 consensus standards. Those consensus standards have been updated a dozen times since then, most recently in 2020.

OSHA's proposed rule takes into account “the most relevant national consensus standards from the American National Standards Institute/Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation (ANSI/ITSDF),” the agency says.

The rule would allow exceptions if the employer can demonstrate that the forklift in question was designed and constructed in a way that offers the same level of protection or more than ANSI/ITSDF standards.

OSHA will accept comments on the proposed rule until May 17. Comments may be electronically submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

More Than Forklifts

OSHA defines powered industrial trucks as vehicles:

Controlled by a riding operator, or
Remotely controlled, or
Controlled by an operate standing alongside

In addition to the typical forklift, the powered industrial truck regulations can apply to vehicles like powered pallet jacks, shopping cart caddies, order pickers, and other similar machines.

OSHA commonly lists forklift accidents as one of the top ten workplace health and safety concerns in the US each year (Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2021).

Effective Online OSHA Safety Training

Protect your employees with expertly designed, convenient OSHA training. Available 24/7, these interactive OSHA safety training courses help employees identify, mitigate, and avoid the hazards in your workplace.

Popular OSHA Safety Courses:
Forklift Safety
Lockout/Tagout
Online HAZWOPER Training
Confined Space Entry Awareness
GHS Hazard Communication (for Employees)
Managing GHS Hazard Communication (for Managers)
Lithium Battery Safety

Employees who complete OSHA training at Lion.com are ready to make on-the-job decisions that keep themselves and their co-workers safe.

Tags: forklift

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

If I need thorough training or updating, I always use Lion. Lion is always the best in both instruction and materials.

Bryce Parker

EHS Manager

The workshop covered a lot of information without being too overwhelming. Lion is much better, more comprehensive than other training providers.

George Alva

Manufacturing Manager

The instructor created a great learning environment.

Avinash Thummadi

CAD & Environmental Manager

I really enjoy your workshops. Thank you for such a great program and all the help Lion has provided me over the years!

George Chatman

Hazardous Material Pharmacy Technician

Very well structured, comprehensive, and comparable to live training seminars I've participated in previously. I will recommend the online course to other colleagues with training requirement needs.

Neil Luciano

EHS Manager

The price was reasonable, the time to complete the course was manageable, and the flexibility the online training allowed made it easy to complete.

Felicia Rutledge

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion is my preferred trainer for hazmat and DOT.

Jim Jani

Environmental Coordinator

My experience with Lion training, both online and in the classroom, is that they are far better organized and provide a better sequential explanation of the material.

Robert Roose

Manager, Dangerous Goods Transportation

The instructor was very engaging and helped less experienced people understand the concepts.

Steve Gall

Safety Leader

Lion is at the top of the industry in compliance training. Course content and structure are updated frequently to make annual re-training enjoyable. I like that Lion has experts that I can contact for 1 year after the training.

Caroline Froning

Plant Chemist

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Just starting out with shipping lithium batteries? The four fundamental concepts in this guide are the place to start.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.