Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines - Safe Operation of Forklift Trucks - Year of issue 2012

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines on the safe operation of forklift trucks provides practical direction for managing, operating, and maintaining forklifts across workplaces. It explains why improper use can lead to property damage, serious injury, or fatalities, and identifies unsafe conditions such as untrained operators, poor traffic management, fatigue, and adverse ground conditions. The guideline supports industry stakeholders through scope, definitions, legislative requirements, roles and responsibilities, hazards and controls, safe work procedures, maintenance, operator training, emergency response planning, and references.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time1 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

1.1 Scope and Application

2. Terms and Definitions

3. Legislative Requirements

3.1 Safe Forklift Operations

3.2 Safe Operations of Forklift Trucks

3.3 Maintaining a Safe Workplace

4. Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 Responsibilities of Forklift Owners

4.2 Responsibilities of Forklift Operators

4.3 Responsibilities of Employees

4.4 Responsibilities of Forklift Suppliers

5. Selection of Forklifts

6. Hazards and Control Measures

6.1 Different Types of Hazards

6.2 Control Measures

7. Safe Work Procedures

7.1 Pre-operation

7.2 During Operation

7.3 Post Operation

8. Maintenance and Servicing

8.1 Servicing and Maintenance Personnel

8.2 Inspection Intervals and Items

9. Training for Operators

10. Emergency Response Plan

11. Useful References

12. Acknowledgements

13. Annex

Annex 1 – Table of Selected Hazards and Control Measures

Annex 2 – Sample Pre-operational Checklist

Published in September 2012 by the Workplace Safety and Health Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written permission. The information provided in this publication is accurate as at time of printing. All cases shared in this publication are meant for learning purposes only. The learning points for each case are not exhaustive and should not betaken to encapsulate all the responsibilities and obligations of the user of this publication under the law. The Workplace Safety and Health Council does not accept any liability or responsibility to any party for losses or damage arising from following this publication. This publication is available on the Workplace Safety and Health Council [Website: www.wshc.sg](Website: www.wshc.sg) [Email: contact@wshc.sg](Email: contact@wshc.sg) Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines Safe Operation of Forklift Trucks Year of issue: 2012 Preface Forklifts play a vital role in the logistics and transportation, construction, marine, and manufacturing industries. They are useful when heavy loads need to be handled and transported easily and quickly. However, if they are mishandled or used inappropriately, property damage, serious injuries or even fatalities can occur. The unsafe use of forklifts can cause incidents in the workplace. Some examples of unsafe situations include: using untrained personnel to operate forklifts, poor workplace traffic management, fatigued workers and adverse ground conditions. These unsafe situations could be improved with proper training and active management involvement. This publication provides practical guidance for industry stakeholders to enhance their understanding of safe operation of forklifts at their workplaces.1 1All counterbalance forklifts must be operated in compliance with prescriptive guidance of Singapore Standards Code of PracticeSS CP 101 : 2004 Code of Practice for Safe Use of Powered Counterbalanced Forklifts, or equivalent. SS CP 101 : 2004 has also been issued as an Approved Code of Practice under the Workplace Safety and Health Act since 15 Feb 2011. Contents 1. Introduction 4 1.1 Scope and Application 4 2. Terms and Definitions 5 3. Legislative Requirements 6 3.1 Safe Forklift Operations 6 3.2 Safe Operations of Forklift Trucks 6 3.3 Maintaining a Safe Workplace 6 4. Roles and Responsibilities 7 4.1 Responsibilities of Forklift Owners 7 4.2 Responsibilities of Forklift Operators 7 4.3 Responsibilities of Employees 8 4.4 Responsibilities of Forklift Suppliers 8 5. Selection of Forklifts 9 6. Hazards and Control Measures 11 6.1 Different Types of Hazards 11 6.1.1 Fall-related Hazards 12 6.1.2 Physical Hazards 13 6.1.3 Chemical Hazards 13 6.1.4 Fatigue 14 6.1.5 Others 14 6.2 Control Measures 14 7. Safe Work Procedures 17 7.1 Pre-operation 17 7.1.1 Traffic Management Plan 17 7.1.2 Pre-operational Checklist 18 7.2 During Operation 19 7.3 Post Operation 20 7.3.1 Refueling: Diesel 20 7.3.2 Battery: Safe Charging or Changing 21 7.3.3 Changing of LPG Cylinders 21 7.3.4 Authorised Key Lock System 22 7.3.5 Parking of Forklifts 22 8. Maintenance and Servicing 23 8.1 Servicing and Maintenance Personnel 23 8.2 Inspection Intervals and Items 23 8.2.1 Servicing and Inspection Intervals 23 8.2.2 Inspections Items 23 8.3 Spare Parts 23 8.4 Housekeeping 23 9. Training for Operators 24 10. Emergency Response Plan 25 11. Useful References 26 12. Acknowledgements 27 13. Annex 28 Annex 1 –Table of Selected Hazards and Control Measures 28 Annex 2 – Sample Pre-operational Checklist 31 1. Introduction 1.1 Scope and Application This publication provides practical guidance on the management, safe operation and maintenance of forklift trucks (“forklifts” in short) at workplaces. The hazards associated

FAQs

What is the scope and purpose of these forklift safety guidelines?

The publication provides practical guidance for managing, safe operating, and maintaining forklift trucks at workplaces. It highlights hazards and corresponding control measures to raise awareness among relevant stakeholders to prevent workplace incidents.

Which unsafe situations are identified as causes of forklift incidents?

Unsafe situations include using untrained personnel, poor workplace traffic management, fatigued workers, and adverse ground conditions. Proper training and active management involvement are highlighted as ways to improve these situations.

What does the guideline cover regarding safe work procedures and after-operation tasks?

Safe work procedures include pre-operation activities such as traffic management plan and pre-operational checklist, during-operation practices, and post-operation procedures. Post-operation topics include refueling (diesel), safe charging or changing batteries, LPG cylinder changing, an authorised key lock system, and parking of forklifts.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi