Forklift Safety Requirements in Ontario: What Every Employer Must Know

Only trained and authorized workers may operate a forklift — operator training must cover pre-use inspection, safe operation, load handling, refuelling or recharging, and hazard recognition specific to your workplace layout

A written pre-use inspection must be completed at the start of every shift — forklifts with defects affecting safety must be removed from service immediately and not operated until repaired

Employers must establish a traffic management plan that physically separates pedestrian walkways from forklift travel routes using barriers, painted lines, or physical separation — pedestrian-forklift collisions are among the most lethal workplace incidents

Forklifts must never be used to lift or carry workers unless a specifically designed and CSA-approved work platform (personnel basket) is attached and all safety procedures are followed

Load capacity limits must be posted on every forklift and strictly observed — overloading and improper load placement are primary causes of tip-overs, which can be fatal even at low speeds

Travel speed limits must be posted and enforced; forklifts must slow to a walking pace at intersections, blind corners, ramps, and in pedestrian areas — install convex mirrors and warning lights at blind spots

Operators must lower forks to the travel position and apply the parking brake when leaving a forklift unattended; forklifts must never be left with forks elevated or engine running in an unsupervised area

Annual refresher training and competency re-evaluation are best practice and increasingly expected by MOL inspectors and COR™ auditors as part of a credible safety management system