High Risk Work Licence - Forklift Truck (LF) common mistakes
High Risk Work Licence - Forklift Truck (LF) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Treating the rated capacity on the data plate as a fixed number that applies at every lift height and mast position, and approving a load on that basis alone.
Candidates memorise the headline capacity figure and never look at the capacity (derating) chart, not realising that capacity falls as the load centre distance increases and as the mast is raised or tilted forward.
What to do instead
For every load, read the data plate to confirm the attachment and load centre it applies to, then read the capacity chart at the actual lift height and load centre distance. Use the lowest figure the chart gives for the planned lift and state that figure aloud before lifting.
Estimating load weight by eye or by counting items, then declaring a load 'light enough' without weighing it or checking the supplier's documentation.
Familiar-looking loads (a pallet of bricks, a drum of liquid, a crate of unknown contents) are assumed to be a standard weight, and candidates confuse volume with mass.
What to do instead
Establish weight from the delivery docket, consignment note, or a weighbridge reading before the lift. If weight cannot be confirmed, treat the load as at or above rated capacity and do not lift until it is verified. Recalculate the load centre if the load is not evenly distributed.
Performing a rushed or partial pre-start check - walking around the machine, glancing at the tyres, and starting it - without testing the horn, lights, brakes, park brake, mast chains, hoses, or the seat and seatbelt.
Under time pressure candidates treat the check as a formality, and a machine that starts easily creates false confidence that everything else is serviceable.
What to do instead
Use a fixed, written sequence (visual walk-around, fluid levels and leaks, tyre and wheel condition, forks and heel wear, chains and hoses, then operational tests of horn, lights, brakes, park brake, steering and hydraulics). Record each item on the checklist as it is done, and tag out the machine if any item fails.
Carrying a load low but with the mast tilted forward, or travelling with the load raised to improve forward visibility.
Candidates raise the load to see past it, not realising this shifts the centre of gravity forward and upward and dramatically reduces stability, especially during braking or turning.
What to do instead
Travel with the load as low as ground clearance allows (typically around 100–150 mm), mast tilted back, and forks trailing. If the load blocks forward vision, travel in reverse or use a spotter - never raise the load to see over it.
Turning while carrying a raised or off-centre load, or cornering at speed, and being surprised when the machine tips sideways.
Candidates apply car-driving instincts, where speed in a turn is corrected by steering, and do not appreciate that a counterbalance forklift's rear-end steering and high centre of gravity make it laterally unstable.
What to do instead
Slow down before every turn, keep the load low and tilted back, and never turn on a slope or with the load raised. Remember the machine's rear swings outward; check clearance behind before turning. Treat the stability triangle as the limit - keep the combined centre of gravity inside it at all times.
Driving forward down a ramp with a loaded forklift, or turning on an incline.
Candidates default to driving forward because it feels natural and gives better visibility, without considering that the load's weight plus gravity on a downgrade overloads the front and reduces braking and steering control.
What to do instead
Travel with the load uphill: forward up a ramp, in reverse down a ramp, with the load always on the uphill side. Never turn on a slope; approach ramps square-on and descend slowly with the load low and tilted back.
Leaving the machine unattended with the forks raised, the key in the ignition, or the park brake unset - even for 'just a minute'.
Short tasks feel exempt from shutdown procedure, and candidates underestimate how quickly an unsecured machine can roll or how easily an untrained person can climb on.
What to do instead
Apply the full shutdown every time you leave the seat: park on level ground, lower the forks fully to the floor, neutralise the controls, apply the park brake, switch off and remove the key. On a slope, chock the wheels. Isolate the battery or LPG supply where the procedure requires it.
Moving off without checking mirrors and blind spots, or travelling through a pedestrian area without a spotter, audible warning, or eye contact with pedestrians.
Candidates focus on the load and the path ahead, forgetting the rear-steer geometry creates large blind spots and that pedestrians cannot hear an electric forklift approaching.
What to do instead
Before moving, check all mirrors and look behind. In shared or pedestrian areas, reduce speed, sound the horn at blind corners and doorways, make eye contact and get an acknowledgement from pedestrians, and use a trained spotter where visibility is restricted. Follow the site traffic management plan and marked walkways.
Responding to a tip-over or a load shift by trying to jump clear, or by reaching out to steady the load by hand.
Panic and instinct produce a leap outward, which puts the operator under the overhead guard and the falling mast; reaching for a shifting load ignores crush and pinch points.
What to do instead
If a tip-over is unavoidable, stay in the seat, brace with the seatbelt on, grip the wheel, and lean away from the direction of fall. Never jump. If a load shifts, stop, lower the load to the floor, and re-secure or re-approach it - never put hands or body under or against a load. Report the incident and do not resume until the machine is inspected.
Assuming the licence alone authorises any forklift task, and operating an unfamiliar attachment, rough-terrain machine, or load type without checking the licence conditions and site induction.
Candidates treat the LF licence as a universal ticket and are unaware that different truck types, attachments (jib, clamp, man cage) and high-risk tasks carry additional competency, familiarisation and site-authorisation requirements.
What to do instead
Before operating any machine, confirm the licence class covers it, complete familiarisation on that specific model and attachment, and check the data plate for the attachment's derated capacity. Follow the site's induction and traffic plan, and refuse tasks outside your training - the duty to work safely sits with you as well as the PCBU.