The Hidden Costs of Forklift Operator Accidents

Every warehouse supervisor needs to know how often to hold training for their team leads and new forklift operators. There are also hidden costs of forklift operator accidents everyone in the warehouse should know about to avoid disasters. For instance, workers may become too confident, which could be a red flag: overzealous workers may not be up to date on their training. So, as a warehouse supervisor, it’s time to offer additional training for workers so detrimental costs can be avoided.

Equipment Replacement and Repairs

Forklifts are expensive, which makes repairs and replacements difficult if one is out of commission. When a forklift becomes damaged in an accident, it could take a large percent of the operations budget away due to high repair and replacement costs.

Without a planned budget set aside for unforeseen circumstances, a considerable amount of the budget gets lost when it could be used for other things in the warehouse.

The burden of replacing an entire forklift or fixing repairs can leave small businesses destitute.

Increased Downtime Decreases Profits

When forklifts break down or need repairs, it can severely impact the warehouse’s work process, decreasing profits. Because of the effects of decreased profits, corners get cut to meet the needs of what fits the budget.

For example, an underfunded budget may need to cut areas that affect equipment checks and routine maintenance. A single accident can cause an entire budget to implode, which can affect not only the business but also its workers.

When editing the budget, employers should never cut areas that require intense training for the health and safety of workers.

Poor Safety Culture Increases Turnover Rate

A turnover rate is the percentage of workers that leave due to specific issues, such as health and safety risks. We see increases in insufficient training protocols for operating and learning about different forklift types and classes in terms of safety.

Not having adequate training for areas such as the counterbalance lift truck training can create client commitment issues and tarnish the warehouse’s reputation.

However, we can reinstate a company’s reputation by consistently ensuring that its workers receive proper training and that team leaders remain updated on the best training methods for operating different lifts.

Serious Legal Costs Ruin Business

For some warehouses, the fear of running into legal trouble is top of mind—but it’s avoidable as long as health and safety is part of the company’s culture. This culture needs to be fostered with existing and newly hired employees.

When an accident happens, there’s a process of investigation, one sues, and both parties go to court for damages.

So, to avoid these hidden costs of forklift operator accidents, ensure employees receive consistent training on safety protocols. You can receive more information on programs offered through First Quality Forklift Training.

First Quality Forklift training offers an opportunity for employers to better their safety standards to avoid potential accidents. We offer the necessary quality training kits to help educate and make safety standards better for all warehouse workers.