April 2017 IVES Update Newsletter

In this edition we'll be covering the following topics:

• Feature Article: Speed vs. Efficiency: Mutually Exclusive Terms.
• IVES TrainTrak™ System - Tracking for multiple training locations.
• OSHA fines firm $25,350 for forklift safety violations.
• Ask Bob: Our tech guru addresses a question on forklift seat switch legislation.
• Let IVES start working for you!
• An incident report on a boomlift fatality.
• Last chance to register!
• What's Wrong With This? Photo and answer.
• A selection of interesting articles.
• New testimonials from our wonderful clients.

But first, check out all the places we delivered training this month...

Speed vs. Efficiency: Mutually Exclusive Terms

On March 8th of this year, it was my pleasure to have acted as the Head Judge of the Columbia Forklift Challenge, a forklift operator competition that has become one of the highlights of the biennial Oregon Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Conference. This was the 4th such event and as per usual, Craig Hamelund and his merry band of field officers did a tremendous job organizing and putting on the event.

The crux of this article stems from a reply to a comment I made during the course orientation in which I stated that the winners of the day would likely be the most efficient drivers and that they would do well to not confuse speed with efficiency. At that point, one of the competitors replied: “What’s the difference?”

Given the time and place, I kept my answer brief and relative to the event but internally I wondered if drivers out in the real world also struggled with the meaning of speed vs. efficiency. I concluded that given the number of damage/injury-producing incidents involving forklifts, forklift operators do indeed confuse the two.

To clarify the differences, let’s start at ground level by looking at the dictionary definitions of the two terms:
 
Speed

1.    rapidity in moving, going, traveling, proceeding, or performing; swiftness; celerity: the speed of light; the speed of sound.
2.    full, maximum, or optimum rate of motion: the car gets to speed in just nine seconds.

Efficiency

1.    the state or quality of being efficient, or able to accomplish something with the least waste of time and effort; competency in performance.
2.    accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort: the assembly line increased industry's efficiency.

As per the definitions above, we can see that speed is predicated more on the simple rate of motion of an object while the definition of efficiency encompasses the time and effort within it. In fact, the term “competency in performance” appears within the definition of efficiency which, in terms of forklift operation, cuts right to the heart of the matter.
 
It’s all well and good for a forklift operator to be fast but if that speed is not blended with efficiency, it often leads to poor performance which, in relation to a forklift driving competition means a poor score but in relation to the real world could also mean damage and injury.
 
Speed is one dimensional and while it may be useful in some instances such as traveling between tasks with the work attachment lowered, it offers little benefit beyond that. Alternatively, crawling along at a snail's pace may be useful (if not required) in certain situations, however adopting it as standard operating procedure is not likely to lead to victory at a competition or a long career as an operator in the real world.

Ultimately, operators that are able to demonstrate “competency in performance” on a consistent basis are likely to rise to the top regardless of the venue, be it under the bright lights of competition or the serious challenges of the production floor.
 
The seemingly little decisions efficient operators make throughout the day relating to such things as the best routes between A and B, direction of travel, if and when to increase/decrease travel speed and of course taking a moment (and it only takes a moment) to engage/deposit loads properly all have a significant and cumulative effect on efficiency at the end of the day as they do not need to waste valuable time and effort correcting the things that usually occur when speed is the sole concern.
 
As counter-intuitive as it seems, operators that focus more on doing things as efficiently as possible rather than as quickly as possible routinely get more done with less effort and/or damage and every now and then, they even win competitions.

Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group

IVES TRAINTRAK™ System

**Tracking Made Easy - For Multiple Training Locations**

Do you train operators at - more than one location - and use the IVES TrainTrak system to track these trainees? If so, please email us at traintrak@ivestraining.com so we can add each location to your profile. This will prevent the creation of duplicate account and contact records thereby improving your overall experience with our TrainTrak system.

OSHA Fines Firm $25,350 for Forklift Safety Violations

A feed and pet supply firm in Clyde, Ohio has been fined $25,350 by federal officials for safety violations in January when employees were injured by a forklift driver.

Phillips Feed & Pet Supply Inc. was cited for two “serious” category violations for the mishap that occurred Jan. 23. According to a report by the Toledo office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the company did not provide proper training on the operation of a forklift.

The report said employees were “exposed to, struck-by, and caught-in-between hazards.” The company can contest the citation and the fine.

Source: www.oshatoday.com

Ask Bob

Q: We have a 2002 Toyota diesel, counterbalance lift truck and there is no functional enable switch in the operator’s seat. Is there a legislative/standard requirement to have function enable switches added to operator seats if the trucks weren’t originally equipped with one?

A: Good question and what a great added safety item to keep people from operating from outside of the seat. However, I have never seen any official requirements for a seat switch. There are still new forklifts being made by other manufacturers that do not offer this safety item. Keep in mind, when a device like a seat switch comes on a piece of equipment from the factory, it needs to remain on it and be maintained. Many people think that since it is not a mandated requirement, that they can disable/remove it - Not True.

Let IVES Start Working For You!

Since 1981, IVES Training Group has earned a reputation as the premier provider of training programs and materials that are the benchmark of the industry and defined by levels of integrity, value, expertise and support that simply cannot be matched. Our Train the Trainer Program provides the training you need to start your ongoing in-house operator safety training. Let IVES start working for you! Visit www.ivestraining.com or call 1-800-643-1144 for more details.

Check out our YouTube video: Let IVES Start Working For You!

2 Workers Injured When Boom Truck Falls on House

GALES FERRY — Emergency crews responded to a machinery accident Friday afternoon that left people trapped.

The Gales Ferry Volunteer fire department said they were called to Avery Hill Road at about 3 p.m. for a machinery accident. A Lifestar medical helicopter was called to the scene.

According to police, two men, a 54-year-old and a 33-year-old, were doing tree work for a private company and operating from a scissor boom truck. They had the apparatus fully extended, sitting on a slight incline in the front yard of the property. The scissor truck lost its balance, toppled and fell onto the top of the house, and both men fell from the boom platform. The boom, as it fell, hit electrical wiring from the street to the house.

The 54-year-old was critically injured by the electrical shock and taken by Lifestar to Hartford Hospital. The other man had minor injuries and was taken to Backus Hospital in Norwich by ambulance.

The accident left a hole in the roof of the home. The homeowners were not home at the time.

Investigators are still on scene, and Eversource has been called to assist. OSHA has also been contacted.

Note: In referring to the equipment involved in this incident as a "boom truck" and "scissor boom truck," it appears that the author of this article may not have know its actual name, which appears to be an aerial boomlift. Ed.

Source: www.fox61.com

Last Chance Programs

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What's Wrong With This? Photo

Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?
 
 

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!

Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo

Here’s what’s going wrong in this photo, per WorkSafeBC…

• One worker standing behind the forklift is not wearing hi-visibility apparel.
• The forklift is on the pedestrian pathway.
• The propane cylinder is not clamped properly or aligned with the safety pin.
• The fire extinguisher is not fixed permanently. It can roll and hit when the brake is applied.
• The operator’s right hand is covering the back light.
• The missing mirror has not been replaced (the left side-view) mirror. The rear-view mirror is not adjusted properly.
• The forklift operator is not wearing hi-visibility apparel and doesn't have eye contact with workers in the area.
• The operator's left leg is improperly positioned.
• The operator is not wearing a seatbelt.
• The operator is not wearing safety footwear.
• The walkie-talkie radio left on the front is unsecured (free-standing).
• The teacup has been left unsecured.
• The load is raised while travelling.
• The hanging debris under the pallet is a hazard.

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!

Interesting Articles

Woman struck and killed by front end loader...more.
Avoiding common forklift hazards...more.
Steve Galbraith, top excavator at Field Days competition...more.
2 contractors violate stop order – cited for $300,000...more.
Operator fined after worker died in forklift truck overturning incident ...more.
Company fined for scissor lift death...more.
Allan Parson: The safe way to work at height...more.
Three charged after Riley Shannon dies from being run over by skid steer...more.
Man killed in excavator accident...more.

Client Testimonials

"I love IVES as a program and philosophy of training." William, Nevada OSHA.

"The program is very informative and set up for ease of use! Thank you for all the extra miles you have put into it!" Dennis, Sundre Sand & Gravel.

"I think IVES nailed it." Adam, Arctic Arrow Powerline Group.

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