Minnesota Forklifts: What you need to know

Minnesota has adopted the federal forklift safety rules for general industry workplaces by reference (MR 5205.0010), and added its own provisions that are stricter than federal requirements.

See the state Material Handling topic for general information about handling heavy materials.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MDLI) administers and enforces workplace safety and health rules in the state.

The state has adopted the federal powered industrial section as it was adopted in 1978, without the federal repeal of the section on lifting personnel (see 29 CFR 1910.178(m)(12)).

Precautions for lifting personnel. Whenever a truck is equipped with vertical only, or vertical and horizontal controls that can be raised with the lifting carriage or forks for lifting personnel, the following additional precautions must be taken for the protection of personnel being elevated:

• A safety platform must be firmly secured to the lifting carriage and/or forks.
• Means must be provided whereby personnel on the platform can shut off power to the truck.
• Protection from falling objects must be provided.

Industrial trucks designed for hard, level surfaces must be restricted to those surfaces that are free of cracks, irregularities, or holes that could upset the balance of the industrial truck.

Forklift operators operating in such a way that visibility is limited must be assisted by a designated person using a predetermined signal.

Minnesota has adopted the federal forklift safety operator training and certification requirements.