Fork Truck With Boom Attachments - Electrician Talk - Professional Electrical Contractors Forum

Lone Crapshooter · 03-17-2011, 10:16 PM

At work we are being told that that OHSA has come out with new rules regarding fork trucks with boom attachments. They tell us that in order to use a boom with fork truck we will have to be certified as crane operators. Has anyone heard anything like that ? It sounds plausible coming from OHSA.
Thanks LC

**MDShunk** · 03-17-2011, 10:18 PM

Yup. Quite true. Whole set of decals needs added to the fork truck. Everyone needs to know hand signals, crane operator card, etc. Load charts must be on board for the attachment, and the attachment must have the approval of the fork truck manufacturer to be considered legal for use on that particular powered industrial truck.

If you're talking about the "truss setter" boom for a LULL, however, that's a whole other story.

Lone Crapshooter · 03-17-2011, 10:33 PM

Thanks again MD . What we use our boom for is lifting cable pit covers to access our underground distribution . These covers are 6' be 30" wide and weigh probably 250 to 300 pounds.

**MDShunk** · 03-18-2011, 12:14 AM

Yeah, they're starting to call any piece of equipment that is handling a slung load a "crane" while it is being used for that purpose. Similarly, if you put a man basket on a forklift, that machine is now not only a powered industrial truck, but also an aerial work platform and is subject to those additional rules as well (lift truck operator and man in basket needs "scissors lift card").