Even the most skilled drivers should wear their forklift seat belts as it doesn’t protect against high-speed or head-on collisions, but rather tip overs. Staying inside the cabin of the forklift during a tip over accident is ensured with a tightly fastened forklift seat belt.

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<p><a href="https://intellaparts.com/blog/5-forklift-seat-belt-tips/"><img src="https://intellaparts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/5-Forklift-Seat-Belt-Safety-Tips-v3-scaled.jpg" alt="5 Forklift Seat belt Safety Tips" width='900px' border='0' /></a></p>

Here are a few forklift seat belt safety tips:

• Put on the seat belt every time you get in and adjust 
  • There are nearly 100 forklift related deaths each year
  • Forklift accidents account for roughly 35,000 serious injuries per year
    • Most of these could be prevented with the use of a seat belt
• Retrofit older forklifts with seat belts
  • An employer who has older equipment without seatbelts but doesn’t retrofit them can be written up or fined by OSHA
  • According to OSHA, employers are obligated to require their employees to wear seat belts
    • OSHA mandates installation of seat belts in forklifts built before 1992.
• Get broken seat belts fixed immediately 
  • OSHA can penalize an employer who does not enforce forklift seat belts
    • OSHA does not have specific rules for seat belts, but they do require employers to create a safe work environment
• Stay in the forklift during a tip over
  • During a tip over place both of your hands on the steering wheel and lean away from the point of impact
  • Push hard against the steering wheel and brace your feet firmly onto the floorboard
    • Being inside the forklift is the safest place to be during a tip over
• Proper training saves lives
  • OSHA estimates that 70% of accidents are preventable with proper forklift training
  • 1 in every 10 forklifts will be involved in an accident
    • Forklifts weigh 9,000 lbs and can seriously injure or kill someone

Sources:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/osha-forklift-seatbelt-regulations-11653.html
https://www.forkliftcertification.com/importance-seatbelt-forklifts/
https://intellaparts.com/blog/forklift-seat-belt-laws/
https://www.osha.gov/enforcement/directives/cpl-02-01-028
https://www.mccue.com/blog/forklift-accident-statistics