Material Handling and

Storage
Occupational Health and Safety
November 7, 2005

Objectives
Recognize material handling hazards

Manual material handling

Industrial trucks
Conveyors
(Cranes will be addressed later)

Become familiar with basic methods of

controlling these hazards

Material Handling and

Storage
Outline
Introduction
General Practices
Storage
Manual Material Handling
Powered Industrial Trucks

Introduction
600,000 overexertion injuries, 27% of all lostworkday cases
370,000 injuries caused by lifting
93,000 pushing/pulling
Strains and sprains from loads that are too heavy
or large
Fractures, cuts and bruises from improper storage

100 annual deaths from Powered Industrial

Trucks (forklifts)
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Introduction
General Work Practices

Get help for large loads or use mechanical

devices
When blocking a raised load:
Keep hands from underneath before releasing
load
Use blocking materials of adequate strength
Look for cracks, splintered pieces, rounded
corners, etc.

Attach handles or holder to loads

Use appropriate PPE

Gloves, eye protection, safety boots (for heavy

loads)
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Introduction
General Work Practices (cont.)
Do not overload equipment
Refer to equipment rated capacity

General forklift procedures

Center load on forks and close to mast

Do not overload
Do not add extra weight to counterbalance
Travel with load at lowest position

Materials Storage
Precautions for stored materials

Stacked loads correctly piled and cross-tiered

Stored material must not create hazard
Areas free of accumulated material
In buildings, no stored materials within 6 feet of
hoist ways or 10 feet of exterior building walls
Store non-compatible material separately

Materials Storage
Stored material precautions (cont.)
Employees in silos, hopers or tanks equipped with
lifeline and safety harness
Bound material stacked, on racks, blocked or
interlocked to keep it from sliding, falling or
collapsing
Don't exceed load capacity for the structure
Post load limits
Stacking height
Mark walls or posts to indicate maximum height
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Lumber and Brick Storage

Lumber

Maximum stack height

16 feet (manual handling)

20 feet (forklift)

Remove nails from used lumber

Stacks stable and self-supporting

Bricks

Lumber storage

Maximum 7 feet high

Above 4 feet, taper stacks 2 inches per
foot
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Block and Bag Storage

Masonry blocks

Above 6 feet , taper stacks 2

block per tier

Bags and bundles

Stack in interlocking rows

Step back at least every 10
layers
Remove from top of stack first
Keep baled paper and rags at
least 10 inches from walls,
ceilings, or sprinkler
heads
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Block storage

Box and Drum Storage

Boxed materials

Hold in place using cross-ties, or

shrink plastic

Block cylindrical material (bars,

poles, etc.)
Use bins or shelves for
materials that cannot be
stacked
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Box storage

Box and Drum Storage

Drums, barrels, kegs
Stack symmetrically
If stored on side,
block bottom tiers to
prevent rolling
If stacked on ends,
use planks, pallets,
etc. between each tier
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Drum storage

Manual Lifting
Manual lifting precautions

Avoid manual lifting when possible

Limit vertical lifting (knuckle-to-shoulder height)
Be in good physical shape
Plan the lifting operation
Get a good grip
Keep the load close to the body
Do not twist or bend sideways
Get help for large or heavy loads

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Manual lifting

Manual Lifting
Recommendations for specific tasks
Grasp opposite corners on boxes, cartons &
sacks
Use mechanical assistance for barrels and
drums
Wear leather gloves when handling sheet
metal
Plate glass
Carry with bottom edge in gloved palm,
other hand on top edge
Never carry plate glass under the arm
Use a team for long objects

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Drum jack

2-wheeled hand trucks

Safe hand truck use

Tip load forward and slip tongue

underneath
Keep center of gravity low
Let the truck carry the load - don't lean
it too far
Hand truck
Walk forward - keep load height low
enough to see
Secure bulky items to the truck
Use specialty equipment
Drums
Appliances
Stair climbers

Appliance
truck

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Stair-climbing truck

Drum truck

Conveyers
Conveyer basics

Hazards
Nip points (rollers, near frame)
Material may fall from conveyor
Persons may be caught in the conveyor
Controls
Inclined belt conveyor
Emergency stop button or pull cord
Must be reset after use
Never ride on conveyor
Guards over aisles or
work areas
Screw conveyors covered, interlocked

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Screw conveyor

Powered Industrial Trucks

(Forklifts)
Forklift injuries and deaths
100 annual deaths, 95,000 injured
Cause of fatality:
42% crushed by vehicle tipping
25% crushed between vehicle and surface
11% crushed between two vehicles
10% struck or run over by vehicle
8% struck by falling material
4% fall from platform or forks
2% accidental activation of controls
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Powered Industrial Trucks

(Forklifts)
Forklift injuries and
deaths (cont)
Classic forklift accidents:
Forklift overturns when
traveling or lifting a load
Trailer moves while being
loaded or unloaded, causing
the forklift to fall

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Powered Industrial Trucks

(Forklifts)
Forklift safety
ANSI Approved
Identifying label
Owner modification
Only with mfg.
Approval
New label required
Front-end attachments
Should have new
label
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Classes of forklifts
Electric Motor, Sit-down Rider, Counter-Balanced
Trucks (solid and pneumatic tires)
Electric Motor Narrow Aisle Trucks (solid tires)

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Classes of forklifts
Electric Motor Hand Trucks or Hand/Rider Trucks (solid tires)
Internal Combustion Engine Trucks (solid tires)

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Classes of forklifts
Internal Combustion Engine Trucks (pneumatic tires)
Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Tractors (solid
and pneumatic tires)
Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks (pneumatic tires)

Tractors
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Rough Terrain ExtendedReach Forklifts

Trucks for Hazardous

Locations
Explosion proof forklifts
are used to control ignition
Example:
DS (Diesel), EE (completely
enclosed electrical), or EX
trucks where flammable gases
or liquids are handled, but
contained

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Powered Industrial Truck

Safety
Fuel, liquid or gas

Handled in accord with NFPA standards

Batteries

Hazards
Lifting and handling
Forklift battery
Acid (electrolyte)
Hydrogen produced during charging
Precautions
Designated battery charging area
Spill control, fire protection,
ventilation, etc.
Mechanical handling equipment
No smoking
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Battery charging station

Powered Industrial Truck

Safety
Trucks and Railroad cars

Many deaths occur when a truck moves as

it is loaded
Forklift travel and braking action cause
the truck to move away from the dock
The forklift falls into the gap and the
Wheel chock
driver is crushed
Precautions
Brakes set, wheel chocks (trucks)
Wheel stops (railroad cars)
Trailer restraints secure the truck to the
loading dock
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Trailer restraint

Powered Industrial Truck

Operation
Safe forklift operation

Never drive toward a person standing in front of a fixed

object
No person under any elevated portion
Do not place arms or legs in the mast or outside the truck
Unattended trucks must be shut off with lowered load
Set brakes and wheel blocks when loading vehicles
(trucks, rail cars, etc.)
Maintain headroom under lights, sprinkler systems, etc.
Use overhead guard to protect from falling objects
Use load backrest when necessary
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Powered Industrial Truck

Operation
Safe forklift operation

Cross railroad tacks on the diagonal

Sound horn at blind intersections
Back down ramps, drive forward up ramps
Operate at safe speed, avoid quick turns
Personnel on loading platform must have an
emergency shut-off for truck power
Secure dockboards and bridge plates
Loads must be stable and safely arranged
Disconnect battery before repairing electrical system
Replacement parts must be equivalent to original

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A dockboard
is used to bridge
the gap between
loading dock and
truck/trailer

Forklift Training
OSHA standard, 1919.178(l)
Effective March 1, 1999
Formal training program required
OSHA specified topics
Stability, operation, etc.
Initial training before use
Refresher training (based on observations)
Employer must certify proper training

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Forklift Training
Stability Triangle:

Vehicle Center of
Gravity (Unloaded)

Center of Gravity
of Vehicle and
Maximum Load
(Theoretical)

Notes:
1. When the vehicle is loaded, the combined center of gravity (CG) shifts toward line B-C.
Theoretically the maximum load will result in the CG at the line B-C. In actual practice,
the combined CG should never be at line B-C.
2. The addition of additional counterweight will cause the truck CG to shift toward point A
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and result in a truck that is less stable laterally.

Forklift Training
Stability Triangle
Load CG
Load CG
Vertical
Stability
Line
(Line of Action)

Combined CG

Combined CG
Truck CG

The vehicle is stable

Truck CG

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Vertical
Stability
Line
(Line of Action)

This vehicle is unstable and

will continue to tip over

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