OSHA Seeks Stakeholder Input on Its Forklift Regulations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) has issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) regarding its current regulations on powered industrial trucks (e.g., rough terrain forklifts) and whether to revise the regulations governing their use. Powered industrial trucks includes what are currently termed forklifts, but the term also includes all fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial trucks powered by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. For construction employers, powered industrial trucks are currently regulated by 29 CFR 1926.602(c) and (d).

The RFI seeks a broad range of data and information on current usage of powered industrial trucks, injuries and illnesses associated with their use, current make-up of powered industrial trucks in use and the age of the equipment, usage patterns in construction and elsewhere, and current training of operators of powered industrial trucks. OSHA is assessing whether to update its rules on powered industrial trucks to improve worker protection while easing burdens on employers.

AGC of America is a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (“CISC”), an organization comprised of 25 construction industry trade associations that is committed to providing data-driven comments to OSHA in response to regulatory and other policy initiatives. The CISC will be preparing comments in response to the RFI on behalf of the construction industry. To assist with these comments, the CISC has put together a short survey to gather information from a range of construction industry employers on current powered industrial truck usage, injury history, etc. The survey can be accessed here. Please take a moment to complete the survey. A response by May 3, 2019 would be greatly appreciated. Your information will be helpful in ensuring that the CISC’s comments reflect real-world construction conditions and operations. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential and OSHA will not know that you participated in the survey.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this data-gathering effort. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kevin Cannon at (703) 837-5410 or cannonk@agc.org.