Although employers are required by law to ensure that all of their forklift operators are trained and certified, accidents do still happen. When operating heavy machinery such as a forklift, any number of things can go wrong. Risk factors for forklift accidents often depend on the type of industry and environment in which they are being used. Some of the most common risk factors include uneven operating surfaces; oversized weight of the object being lifted; inexperienced operator’s error; failing to clear the work area; and poor maintenance of the machine, which results in unanticipated movement of the machine. These accidents frequently result in “crush injuries” to the operator or other persons standing near or under the load.

In a warehouse setting, a sit-down forklift has greater potential than a hand truck to be involved in a load falling accident because of its ability to lift a load higher. In those cases, workers will lift a load from a lower shelf to a higher shelf (or visa versa) — but then the load becomes unstable, causing the load to fall onto the worker or another employee. Similarly, when used in a space open to the public, there is a greater risk of that load falling onto a pedestrian and causing serious injuries. Employees in settings that use forklifts might also be injured when forklifts are driven off or fall off of loading docks.