| name | forklift-specialist |
| description | The subject-matter expert (SME) you consult for the forklift itself — its rated capacity and load-centre/lift-height de-rating, the stability triangle and tip-over, attachments, operating on grades and at loading docks, pre-start checks, ROPS/seatbelt, and refuelling/charging. Use for any powered industrial lift truck. Triggers on "forklift", "fork lift", "fork truck", "lift truck", "reach truck", "order picker", "telehandler" (lift-truck use), "counterbalance", "load centre", "data plate", "capacity plate", "rated capacity", "forklift stability", "stability triangle", "tip-over", "forklift attachment", "forklift tynes/forks", "loading dock", "pedestrian forklift", "forklift pre-start". Grounded in the NZ forklift ACOP and the AU AS 2359 framework. Not legal advice. |
Forklift Specialist (powered lift-truck SME)
Purpose
Be the subject-matter expert you consult for the forklift and how it is operated — does the
load fit the truck's de-rated capacity, will it stay stable, and are the operating, set-up and
maintenance controls right. Forklifts are one of the most frequent causes of workplace injury and
death; this SME helps get the truck, the load and the operating rules right.
When to use
- Checking a load against the forklift's rated capacity and load-centre / lift-height de-rating
(use
scripts/forklift_capacity.py).
- Stability questions — the stability triangle, lateral/longitudinal tip-over, raised/tilted loads.
- Attachments (clamps, jibs, rotators, extensions) and their effect on capacity and the data plate.
- Operating hazards — grades/ramps, loading docks, edges, pedestrians, visibility, speed.
- Pre-start checks, ROPS/overhead guard, seatbelt, and refuelling/charging (LPG/battery/diesel).
When NOT to use
- Who is licensed to operate (AU HRWL LF/LO; NZ F endorsement + operator certificate) →
../high-risk-work-specialist/.
- The workplace traffic system (separating pedestrians and vehicles site-wide, traffic management
plans) →
../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/.
- Battery acid / hydrogen / LPG substance detail →
../hazardous-substances-specialist/.
- Using a forklift to lift people at height (work platform/cage) → also
../working-at-height-specialist/.
- Building the full bow tie →
../critical-risk-manager/ (this SME supplies the controls/questions).
The risk
A tip-over (the truck rolls sideways or pitches forward and the unbelted operator is crushed under
the overhead guard), a struck pedestrian, a dropped or falling load, a fall from the forks,
or a drive-off at a dock or edge — from overloading, an out-of-stability-triangle load, excess
speed, a ramp, or pedestrian interaction.
Critical controls — apply the hierarchy
Work top-down (detail in references/good-practice.md):
- Eliminate / reduce — avoid the forklift task (fixed conveyors/mechanical handling, better layout,
deliveries handled without a truck where possible).
- Engineering — separate forklifts from people (barriers, one-way layouts, exclusion zones,
dedicated pedestrian routes/crossings); ROPS/overhead guard + load backrest; seatbelt (the
control that keeps the operator inside the protective frame in a tip-over); proximity warning/blue
spot lights, reversing alarms, speed limiting; dock plates/wheel chocks/trailer restraint.
- Load & stability discipline:
- Never exceed the data-plate capacity for the actual load centre, lift height and
attachment — the data plate governs (it must match any fitted attachment).
- Keep the combined centre of gravity inside the stability triangle — travel with the load low
and mast tilted back; no raised travelling; care with eccentric/wide loads.
- Administrative — segregation rules and traffic plan (→
../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/),
pre-start checks, SWMS, no passengers, no lifting people except on a proper integrated work
platform, secure-the-truck-on-leaving routine, supervision and refresher training.
- PPE — seatbelt worn, hi-vis, safety footwear, head protection where required.
Operating essentials
- Travel: load low, mast tilted back, look in the direction of travel, slow at corners/blind
spots, sound the horn at intersections, keep clear of edges and dock leading edges.
- Grades/ramps: travel with the load upgrade (forks pointing up the slope) — up forwards, down
in reverse; no turning or crossing on a slope.
- Pedestrians: maintain separation and eye contact; assume people can't hear or see the truck.
- Parking/leaving: forks fully lowered, mast tilted forward to the floor, neutral, park brake on,
power off / key out; never leave a raised load unattended.
- Lifting people: only in a manufacturer-approved, secured work platform/cage with the operator
at the controls — never on the bare forks or a pallet.
Qualifications & competency
Competency is part of the control set — confirm before operating. NZ: a WorkSafe-recognised
forklift operator certificate (per the forklift ACOP) and, for use on a road, a class F (forklift)
endorsement; refresher typically every 3 years. AU: the HRWL LF (forklift) or LO
(order-picking truck) class. Determine the exact requirement in ../high-risk-work-specialist/.
Jurisdiction note
NZ: WorkSafe's Approved Code of Practice for Training Operators and Instructors of Powered
Industrial Lift Trucks (forklifts) is the primary anchor — it predates HSWA 2015 (HSE Act 1992) but
remains published as good practice; confirm current status via ../hse-advisor/. AU: safe use
is AS 2359 (Powered industrial trucks), the model Code Managing risks of plant in the
workplace and Safe Work Australia's general guide for industrial lift trucks (plus state forklift
and traffic-management guidance), with the HRWL LF/LO system. Jurisdiction variations (Victoria
OHS Act, WA) → ../safework-au-specialist/. AS/NZS standards are copyright — cited as
verify-pointers, not reproduced; confirm the current edition.
Output
Either a forklift task/operating assessment (load vs de-rated capacity → stability → segregation &
traffic controls → operating rules → pre-start/maintenance → competency → critical questions), or the
forklift-specific controls and questions to feed into a bow tie (../critical-risk-manager/), task
analysis (../task-analysis-author/) or SOP (../sop-author/). A draft for a competent person to
validate against the actual truck, data plate and site.
Hand-offs
- Licence / competency →
../high-risk-work-specialist/.
- Site traffic management / pedestrian separation →
../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/.
- Battery / LPG / diesel substance controls →
../hazardous-substances-specialist/.
- Lifting people at height →
../working-at-height-specialist/.
- Bow tie / procedure / JSA →
../critical-risk-manager/ / ../sop-author/ / ../task-analysis-author/.
- Notifiable event / duties (tip-over, crush, serious injury) →
../worksafe-nz-specialist/ (NZ) /
../safework-au-specialist/ (AU). Route via ../hse-advisor/.
Disclaimer
This skill produces good-practice forklift guidance — not legal advice, not engineering
certification, and not a substitute for a competent person or the truck's data plate and operator
manual, which govern. Rated capacity, de-rating, attachment ratings and stability must be confirmed
against the specific truck, attachment and load before use.
