Order pickers are a type of truck that elevate the load together with the person and mostly used at elevated heights exposing the operator not only in falling hazard but also in bumps to their head and materials falling from above.
It is therefore a great necessity that workers must wear hard hats where there are potential hazards such as those stated above. This safety requirement is also specified in these OSHA regulations:
- 29 CFR 1910.132 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standard that specifically states that hazards identification must be done in order to determine whether the use of hard hats and other PPES is necessary. This standard covers every worker including forklift operators who do use order pickers.
- 29 CFR 1926.100 Safety and Health Regulations for Construction states that employers must provide their employees with head protection that meets ANSI standards.
- 29 CFR 1910.135 Head Protection says that employers shall ensure that workers wear a protective helmet when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects.
While you may not find any information about the requirement of operators to wear a hard hat in an order picker in the latest OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178 - Powered Industrial Trucks Regulation, but that standard addresses that operator training and certification must be performed prior to operation of this equipment.
When operating an order picker at height, here are what you need to wear as well:
- Of course, a hard hat with the provision of a chin strap
- Body harness with adjustable restraint lanyard
- Safety vest or high visibility jacket
- Clear safety glasses to protect eyes from debris and other small objects
- Safety gloves to protect the operator’s hands
- Steel-toed safety shoes
- Tight clothing that can’t be snagged in any moving parts of the equipment
Wearing of Hard Hats Must Be in the Company’s Safety Policy
Provision of hard hats to workers who are using order pickers is a moral obligation of the employers it is, therefore, should be entered in the company’s safety policy.
By including this hard hat requirement in the company’s safety policy, not only the employer will able to oblige their workers to wear this head protection but will also able to discipline them as employers can now take disciplinary action by issuing reprimand letters to workers committing such violation of not wearing this protection.
Likewise, the inclusion of this requirement in the safety rules is in compliance to the above-stated OSHA regulations.
Remember, every company must have a system in place and the workers must be aware of this. The policy should be understood by the workers for them to put it to practice.
We do know that the company cannot guarantee 100% safety for its workers, but it can do something to ensure the lowest risk.
Safety Tips in Using an Order Picker
- Before anything else, the person should be properly trained and certified in the use of an order picker. It only takes less than a day to complete the training in this equipment.
- Do a risk assessment prior to using an order picker at height is a good practice because it is a way to examine what in the workplace could bring potential hard to the workers.
- Never forget to wear the PPES we mentioned above. You never know when an accident will happen.
- Know the weight the order picker can carry, never exceed that capacity as it makes the equipment unstable.
- Prior to doing the job, carry out a visual inspection of the area where the order picker is going to use. This simple step identifies hazards and what could be done to minimize accidents.
- Pedestrians and other workers are not allowed to go near the equipment if it is in use at height.
