Purpose
Employers and operators who use, or intend to use, telescopic handlers ('telehandlers') must be aware:

• That some telehandlers are not designed to lift freely suspended loads, and
• A location where the ground is rough, uneven or sloping can significantly affect the machine's stability when operating as a mobile crane.

Note: Telehandlers are also known as multi-purpose handlers/cranes/tool carriers, telescopic forklifts and by a variety of proprietary names.

Background
A recent serious incident in New South Wales involving a telehandler has raised concerns over the use of these machines to lift freely suspended loads.
Research by WorkCover NSW indicates:

• Some telehandlers not designed to lift freely suspended loads are being used for this purpose.
• Telehandler stability is affected when operating on sloping ground with a freely suspended load.

This WorkSafe Alert is based on the WorkCover NSW Safety Alert published in August 2005.
Worksafe Expectations
Owners of telehandlers and those responsible for their use should have all applicable supplier's information for the machine, including the maximum operational slope and other limitations. They should ensure their machines have been designed to accommodate the required attachments, are suitable for the tasks they are to perform and the location they are intended to be used.

Where intended to lift freely suspended loads, written confirmation that the machine complies with AS 1418.5 or an equivalent standard should be readily available on site.

Worksafe's Position
Telehandlers used to lift freely suspended loads by a jib attachment or other means must comply with AS 1418.5 or an equivalent standard. EN 1459 is not an equivalent standard for this application.

If an inadequately designed telehandler is observed being used as a mobile crane, or is likely to be so used, WorkSafe inspectors will take appropriate compliance action.

Technical Information
A telehandler is a versatile type of mobile lifting plant incorporating a telescopic boom fitted with a lifting attachment. The usual means of lifting is by forks, but telehandlers can be fitted with a variety of attachments for different types of loads. The range of attachments that can be used depends upon the design of the particular machine, and these often include a jib for lifting freely suspended loads.

Typically, telehandlers are used to travel with their load (pick-and-carry). When the load is supported on forks, it should be lowered as close to the ground as possible and the boom retracted during travel. However, when the load is freely suspended, it needs be elevated to prevent it snagging on the ground or other obstacles. This, coupled with the fact that the load can swing and exert additional dynamic forces on the machine, may adversely affect the machine's stability. When operating on sloping ground, the potential for instability is increased as the load swings further out from the lifting point.

Stability Ratio Is Critical
A telehandler designed and intended to be used as a mobile crane, to pick-and-carry a freely suspended load, must have a stability ratio not greater than 66% in this mode. This is the maximum allowable stability ratio specified in Australian Standard AS 1418.5, Cranes, hoists and winches Part 5: Mobile cranes.

Other design standards for mobile cranes, such as European Standards, are only acceptable if they provide an equivalent or higher level of health and safety. For example, a crane with a stability ratio of less than 66% has a higher level of safety on that matter, whereas a crane with a stability ratio of 75% has a lower (and therefore unacceptable) level of safety. Most telehandlers have a stability ratio of 75% when lifting with forks. While this may be acceptable for this or other rigid load configuration, it is unacceptable when operating as a mobile crane lifting a freely suspended load.
Suppliers of telehandlers designed and tested in compliance with AS 1418.5 should be able to readily produce written confirmation of compliance. Such models are suitable as pick-and-carry mobile cranes.

European Standard EN 1459
Many telehandlers are designed to a European Standard, EN 1459 Safety of industrial trucks Self-propelled variable reach trucks. This standard specifies the safety requirements for telehandlers used to lift loads rigidly supported by forks or other means. It explicitly excludes the design of machines used to lift freely suspended loads.

WorkSafe accepts that telehandlers designed to EN 1459 are suitable for rigidly supporting loads on forks. WorkSafe does not accept that telehandlers designed to EN 1459 are suitable for use as mobile cranes as the stability requirements of EN 1459 do not cover this configuration.

Other deficiencies in EN 1459 include the absence of some operator safety devices, such as indicators, limiters and load charts. For example, some telehandlers have neither limiters nor indicators, while some have only indicators, which can be readily switched off or over-ridden.

A telehandler designed to EN 1459 may be potentially unstable if used to pick-and-carry a freely suspended load and so may represent a risk to the operator or persons in the vicinity.

Telehandlers used to lift freely suspended loads by a jib attachment or other means must comply with AS 1418.5 or an equivalent standard. EN 1459 is not considered an equivalent standard for this application.


http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/