The Winners - The Losers

now adjust the sound to a normal volume [Music] in the coming months at lift truck rallies like this around the world top professional lift truck operators will be competing to determine who is the best [Applause] contestants negotiator loaded truck through an obstacle course simulating actual job conditions the object run the course in the fastest time with the fewest errors the pressure is intense the difference between winning and losing measured in fractions of inches and tenths of seconds [Applause] this event is won by Jack Coakley of TR WS replacement division he will go on to earn the title of international grand champion it's in recognition of the outstanding professional ability he developed and perfected on the job because winning in this competition requires the same skills a lift truck operator needs every day at worth the same thorough knowledge of his machine the same safety sense the same judgment and concentration that spell efficiency with these qualities these skills on your job you win more security recognition the pride of knowing urine demand as a real pro without these skills sooner or later you lose all those things that's the reason for this film to remind you of what it takes to be a winner instead of a loser at a job that's never easy [Music] if you're going to operate lift trucks there's one thing to keep in mind you can either be a winner on the job or a loser the winners are the professionals they make it look easy because they know what they're doing chances are they've learned to operate their lift trucks in training courses required by OSHA regulations the losers on the other hand make the mistakes what separates the winners from the losers to get that answer we asked champion Jack Coakley to share his experience techniques he uses in both competition and on-the-job no I don't have any secrets in my driving it I go by the book and it's very basic see most operators are concerned first about the condition of the machine at the driver in fact you can spot the good operators before they even start up by the way they check the truck over [Music] the fact is most mechanical problems can be caught and corrected before they develop into something serious sometimes it's a problem that can be seen and sometimes it can be heard something is obviously wrong in the way of this lift truck is running the operator should have checked the air service indicator every day but didn't result the company loses valuable production time and the operator losses in our walks instead of rides when more than one operator uses a truck each should be particularly cautious for example the operator on the first shift forgets to put the battery on charge after running the truck the next operator assumes the battery level is okay then the truck is used in a high lifting job the kind of job that takes a lot of extra power you can guess what happens then [Music] the power fails at the worst possible time result a block dial and a lift truck down for several hours [Music] sure operating a lift truck is different it's fast its maneuverable you can get away from if you're not careful to me developing good operating habits is a heck of a lot more important than speed you concentrate on safe techniques and speed a common experience in operating a lift truck the idea is to match speed to conditions when taking a turn in a tight aisle keep the inner wheel close to the corner slow down to start the turn and watch the rear end swing of course there are potential hazards in any warehouse or factory and these are a constant challenge to the operator the three motion common hazards facing an operator of these people walking or working in the same area other truck traffic and surface conditions let's replay those situations this time showing what should have been done first slow down and use the horn you can figure that whenever there are people someone sometimes is going to step before they look second before heading into a blind corner again slow down and always sound the horn third take it easy around rough for slick spots the way an operator takes a ramp also marks in is either a winner or a loser this way the load falls off or if the load is heavy enough it may shift the center of gravity and the operator loses steering control he could lose a lot more than that when driving up or down an incline keep the load on the upside this cradles the load more safely against the backrest so it is less likely to fall off and it keeps the weight on the steer wheels when it comes to lifting and stacking notice how the professional over hoists the load slightly then eases it down into position with gravity the amateur on the other hand tries to raise the load to the exact height on electric trucks this puts extra wear on the contact points and motors waste power and oh yes always release the lever when the cylinders reach their limit holding onto cylinders against the stops causes added wear on the hydraulic system and wastes power when the schedule gets tight when you get pressed for time it can be a real temptation to try to carry bigger and heavier loads when we do that there you take unnecessary chances I mean why should you ask for trouble each lift truck has specific limitations height weight lifting capacity exceed the design limits and sooner or later you're going to lose this operator made the right decision to carry a smaller much safer load [Music] some operators try to carry heavier loads by adding counter weights but this can over stress the machine and some counter weights can be downright dangerous when it comes to operating a lift truck with a special attachment bear this in mind you know your truck you know its limits and how the attachment fits your machine [Music] no good operator will use equipment in an application about which he has serious doubts when a truck and attachment are used for another type of job the operator is asking for trouble a push-pull attachment works well in this application but special tools require special care use an attachment only for it's designed application and be wary of attachments that threaten the stability of your lift truck driving a lift truck takes concentration every time you begin to let up start thinking about something else that's what dumb happens I think a lot of my safety record it's my living distractions are a part of everyday hazards for an operator here's a sure loser in any organization the cowboy operator a lot of things that could be said about this type of operator in dangers himself and everyone around him he abuses equipment destroys goods and damages property fortunately for everyone concerned he usually doesn't last too long to be a winner on the job then an operator needs these qualities knowledge of the machine and of the job conditions a strong sense of safety for yourself and others consistency steady error-free driving remember this wins more points than speed concentration the ability to keep your attention on the job at hand and finally pride if you operate efficiently with the least amount of effort to yourself and your truck then you'll be known and respected as a professional you may not win one of these events but you will be a winner where it counts on the job [Music] [Applause] [Music]