The rules regarding lift trucks and other technical equipment also apply to those who run a business without employees, alone or together with family members.

Employers who hire out or engage temporary staff: collaborate

In industries where lift trucks are used, it is common for companies to engage temporary staff to operate them. Responsibility for the work environment is shared between the staffing agency and the client company, and this relies on good collaboration.

If you hire staff, you are obliged to take the same protective measures for the hired staff as for your own staff. Give a good introduction that shows the specific risks that exist in the workplace. Check that the hired employees have sufficient knowledge of the lift trucks and tasks they will perform, and that they have good knowledge of the lift truck regulations that apply. You must also issue a written permit.

If you hire out staff, you are responsible for ensuring that your staff have a good work environment at the client's site. You must therefore ensure that the client company addresses risks to your employees, and that your employees have sufficient knowledge.

Coordinate work at a shared workplace

When several employers are working at the same permanent workplace, the employer who controls the workplace must coordinate measures to protect against accidents and ill health.

Coordination is needed, for example, at goods reception areas and terminals when external lorry drivers arrive to load and unload their goods. It is then important that everyone involved clearly understands who is responsible for what and which rules apply.

As the coordinator, you must ensure that the work can be carried out safely for everyone involved:

• Check that all operators have permits from their employers to operate lift trucks. The permit must correspond to the work the operator is intended to perform.
• Inform all operators about the applicable lift truck regulations and other matters relating to safety in the workplace.

Employees and safety representatives are important for a good work environment with lift trucks

Employees and safety representatives play an important role in work environment management and safety with lift trucks. As an employer, you must give all employees the opportunity to participate in work environment management. For example, you can let employees suggest actions or provide feedback on actions you have implemented.

Employee participation in safe lift truck operation

As an employee, you must participate in work environment management and take part in implementing the measures needed to achieve a good work environment with lift trucks.

As a lift truck operator, you can, for example, contribute to a safe work environment by:

• ensuring that no one is in the lift truck's danger zone
• securing the lift truck and load before leaving the driver's seat
• reversing or getting help from a colleague when your visibility is obstructed

As a pedestrian, you can make things easier for the lift truck operator by

• making eye contact to make yourself known before approaching the lift truck's danger zone
• assisting the lift truck operator when visibility is obstructed or during precision work
• never walking or placing anything in the lift truck aisles without the lift truck operators’ knowledge.

As an employee, you must always follow your employer's driving rules and instructions for lift truck operation. This may, for example, mean that you are required to carry out a pre-use check of the lift truck, report faults or use the correct lift truck for a specific task. You must also report to your employer or your safety representative if the work poses an immediate and serious danger to life or health.

Safety representatives contribute to safe lift truck operation

The safety representative represents employees in work environment issues, and may have valuable insights. The safety representative must be given the opportunity to contribute to issues concerning the work environment and safety with lift trucks.

For example, safety representatives should participate in the planning of:

• new or changed working methods and work processes
• renovations, rearrangements or relocations
• selection of lift trucks and interchangeable equipment for the lift trucks.

It is also important that safety representatives are given the opportunity to participate in risk assessments and in the formulation of lift truck rules, work instructions, etc.

If you, as a safety representative, discover deficiencies in lift truck operation, you should first raise this with the responsible manager. If this is not enough to remedy the deficiencies, you can request action from the Swedish Work Environment Authority. You also have the right to stop hazardous work in certain cases.

Safety representative and work environment representative