A workplace necessity: why you have to have your forklift serviced

Forklifts are one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in a factory or warehousing setting. However, they are also one of the most susceptible to faults, the likes of which could cause serious harm to employees.

There are numerous reasons why your company requires first-class forklift servicing, above just that of employee safety (which we will start with).

Let’s take a look at the importance of forklift servicing below:

1. It keeps your employees safe

forklifts are prone to a range of accidents, whether through operation or mechanical fault. Common accidents include forklifts tipping, dropping pallets, and hitting other employees, all of which can be linked to mechanical problems.

As you well know forklifts are supposed to be safety checked every morning, with everything from the tires to lights, transmission, and handbrake requiring a thorough pre-operational evaluation.

Therefore, if one morning you conduct one of these safety checks and find that it has incurred a problem, you must immediately have that problem fixed to ensure it doesn’t risk the forklift operator’s, yours, and other employees’ safety.

2. It saves your company from getting into strife

If you run a company that fails to ensure an employee’s safety you could be liable to pay thousands in damages. If an employee is put at risk due to a damaged forklift that went unserviced for some time, it’s highly likely that you won’t have a leg to stand on if things go to VCAT or civil trial in Australia.

All the employee would have to do is prove that the forklifts went unserviced and had incurred problems and your company will be in serious trouble – why allow a faulty forklift to risk such an unfortunate situation for your employee, yourself, and your company?

3. It makes for a happier workplace

Nobody wants to work in a factory or warehouse where there are known safety problems. When employees are forced to work in situations where they feel endangered, they often decide that the work is not worth doing properly, and productivity decreases as a result.

Conversely, a workplace where employees feel looked after and where their safety is important is a happy workplace. Productivity will be much higher and your team will feel safer using the equipment, something which goes a long way to ensuring efficiency and productivity is high.

4. It saves you from buying new machinery

Forklifts aren’t cheap, and they are certainly not something you would want to find yourself budgeting for prematurely. However, this can end up being the case if you don’t have your forklift occasionally serviced.

Forklifts, like cars, are pieces of mechanical transport that require occasional servicing to ensure everything from the accelerator to the transmission, guards, and lights are working at full capability.

If you allow your company forklifts to go for extended periods without servicing, you are leaving your fleet susceptible to all kinds of problems that could end their lifespan before their time.

You don’t want to find yourself buying a whole new fleet of forklifts to make up for what could have been a few quick service repairs.

5. It maintains their resale value

There isn’t a company in Australia that would happily take your shabby forklift. If your forklift fleet has experienced serious usage without even the occasional service then you simply can’t expect a good return if you ever find the need to sell them.

This is just another great reason why it’s imperative to have your forklift fleet occasionally serviced.