THE COLOR OF DANGER

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all [Music] the color that warns of trouble ahead and whenever that warning is ignored disaster can [Applause] strike [Music] it can strike on the street or on the job so most professional operators heed the warning signs they look for the color of danger but they realize also that not all hazards can be marked or lighted so signs can't be everywhere that danger might appear under certain conditions and so they've learned to think ahead to sense trouble before it develops in a way they see the color of danger even when it isn't [Applause] [Music] there for example ahead of this operator are a number of places that good sense would color red for danger places where the worst might happen if the operator were not [Music] alert let's say it again a truck like this will do its job safely provided it's properly used but misuse can reduce its built-in margin of safety in many ways load a truck Beyond its rated capacity and the steering is affected this may mean nothing more than a poorly negotiated turn and some expensive castings broken nobody hurt not this time but faulty steering has been known to kill [Music] people but even with no load and perfect steering the careless operator can get himself in trouble this fell fails to lower his mask forgets he has to pass under an overhead obstruction in the form of a temporary steamline his thoughtlessness adds up to the color of [Music] danger [Music] professionals follow the basic rule always lower the Mast when traveling from one point to another with or without a load keep the forks low if visibility is a problem travel in reverse and they keep in mind this principle raising a load also raises a truck center of gravity when this happens it's time to take it easy a Clum hand on the lift or tilt lever can start a chain reaction that leads to trouble there is nothing like a little jolt to drive a lesson home some unmarked hazards are so obvious that anyone should spot them where would you put the color of danger in this scene first of all that load is loose on the pallet and those railroad tracks will produce quite a bump at the speed he's [Applause] [Music] going the best advice about Crossing Tracks is reduce speed and always cross them at an angle instead of head on it's always conditioned red on a loading dock loose dock plates Wheels not blocked slippery decks any of these can cause trouble an operator who doesn't see the color of danger before he drives into a trailer isn't likely to see it [Applause] after hold it it's not a good idea to depend on others to see danger for you so always check the dock plate and make sure the wheels are chocked before you begin working a truck people who take things for granted are especially apt to miss the color of danger when it flashes this machine is in the shop to have the brakes repaired but the mechanic Harry Schwarz gets called away before he can complete the job and he forgets to put a warning tag on the machine the operator Bob Broward is there at 920 Harry promised him his truck would be ready by 9 so it must be ready so why wait to see Harry or why for that matter take time to inspect the [Music] [Music] machine here's [Music] why he starts down an incline with no brakes there's a sharp turn at the bottom it's conditioned red all the [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] way what happed Rob you hurt no maybe I'll take you over here and uh let you sit down for a minute the heck way to stop a truck a 12,000lb truck crash lands pretty hard that's why an operational check is important especially when it's been in the shop for repairs but whether it's been in the shop or it's just the start of the shift the experienced operator makes sure his machine is ready to go he checks the hydraulic oil the clutch and the [Music] [Applause] [Music] water he checks the engine [Music] oil looks at the top [Music] s and his instruments and he tests his brakes he reports a fly operation immediately he doesn't take a [Music] chance yes a professional takes pride in his machine and in the way he does his job he not only knows his machine and its capabilities but he makes sure he knows the material he has to handle a real Pro would never fail to take into account Loosely secured containers and he'd use special care when working at this height several thousand cans is an aw awful mess to clean up these machines will move tremendous amounts of material but there's one thing they're not designed to do they're not meant to carry passengers if you want to really see the color of danger just offer some of your buddies a ride on your [Music] [Applause] truck now remember your kindness for a long time here's another way to be remembered and not fondly Park your truck and leave the forks raised after all how can anyone get hurt by a machine that's standing [Music] still this is a great way to cool cool a beautiful [Music] friendship of course there are times when it's a good idea to cool it emotional upsets can turn careful people into real Daredevils take the case of Joe Dexter a forklift operator on his way to [Music] work front of my car man you total it you just knocked out my stoplight you better just clear out of here there's a stop sign right there did you see you stopped 10 ft before that coordinate your foot with your R evidently I don't know what's the matter don't Press Your Luck partner yeah thanks Joe is still burned up when he gets to the plant see it kind of late this morning all right now don't you start in on me too I wonder what's heiling him he's too angry to use his head now normally Joe wouldn't think of traveling with his Forks raised he knows the extra weight of Mast carriage and forks on his truck combined with too much speed can spell trouble but he's sore and in this state of mind he can't see the color of [Applause] danger so cool it before you start to [Music] drive another way to cool it but not particularly recommended you're working inside a warehouse on a dry surface there's plenty of traction for turning and breaking but suppose you forget for a moment the possibility that the dock outside may be wet and slippery on the way out you pick up too much speed so when you hit the [Applause] brakes where traction may be a problem reduce your speed or make sure you can [Music] [Applause] swim of course an operator doesn't have all the responsibility for safety those working around forklift trucks should watch out for the rear end swing especially in close quarters they should make certain the operator knows they're [Applause] there otherwise the color of danger may be all too [Applause] apparent some large Lumber dealers handle millions of board feet each year to move that much Lumber efficiently requires a lot of material handling equipment but unless it's used safely there's not much efficiency example a heavy load carried too high for stability partially obstructed Vision add too much speed a sharp turn a sudden stop and the result is downtime in this case no casualties another time who knows the point about the color of danger is anyone can see it after an accident the trick is to recognize it before loading a stack of drums three pallets high is asking for trouble but that's only the [Applause] start since the operator doesn't see the color of Danger let's put it in for him some red on the barrels because three pallets High they make an unstable load some red on the ramp always a danger spot and some red on his head because it isn't working he should have learned long ago that the only way to get down an incline with the load is to back down but it's too late [Applause] now a careless operator an unstable load a sudden stop an explosive mixture they say accidents will happen and they're right they will happen as long as the man at the controls doesn't look for trouble ahead doesn't know and follow the rules they will happen to the man who misuses his machine forgets its capabilities and limits accidents will happen to the man who doesn't think who doesn't keep on the [Music] alert who doesn't watch for the color of [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] danger [Music] I