U. S. Department of Labor 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management 

Office of Science and Technology Assessment 

_____________________________________________________________ 

Standup Forklift Under-ride Hazards 

Safety and Health Information Bulletin 

________________________________________________________________________ 

 

Preface 

Forklift truck operators must look in the 

direction of travel and keep the forklift under 

control at all times. One of the potential 

hazards faced by standup forklift operators is 

the crushing hazard that can arise when 

traveling, with the forks trailing, in a 

warehouse near a storage rack or similar 

obstruction. The risk is that a horizontal rack 

beam (crossbar) or similar obstruction might 

enter the operator’s compartment in a situation 

referred to as “under-ride.” This Safety and 

Health Information Bulletin (SHIB) discusses 

ways to reduce the crushing hazard to the 

operator associated with under-ride. Awareness 

of the precautions and safety measures 

highlighted in this SHIB can help prevent 

serious injuries and fatalities related to 

warehouse operations. 

Purpose

The purpose of this SHIB is to: 

• Alert standup forklift operators and 

employers to the crushing hazard to the 

operator associated with under-ride; 

• Identify standup forklift features that 

are available on new equipment or that 

can be installed on standup forklifts to 

address the hazard (ANSI/ITSDF 

B56.1-2005, para. 4.5.3, 7.30, 7.36.); 

This Safety and Health Information Bulletin 

(SHIB) is not a standard or a regulation, and it 

creates no new legal obligations. It contains 

recommendations as well as descriptions of 

mandatory safety and health standards. The 

recommendations are advisory in nature, 

informational in content, and are intended to 

assist employers in providing a safe and 

healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety 

and Health Act requires employers to comply 

with safety and health standards and regulations 

promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an 

OSHA-approved state Plan. In addition, the 

Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), 

requires employers to provide their employees 

with a workplace free from recognized hazards 

likely to cause death or serious physical harm. 

• Identify arrangements or modifications 

of storage racks that might reduce the 

risk of under-ride; 

• Recommend work practices that can be 

implemented by the employer to 

eliminate the under-ride hazard; 

• Stress the importance of training 

 employees on the safe operation 

 of standup forklifts; and 

• Ensure that employees follow safe 

operating procedures.

SHIB 07-27-2009
2

Background 

A forklift “under-ride” hazard arises when the 

forklift operator travels with the forks trailing 

and backs up toward the storage rack. If the 

operator drives the forklift too far, so that the 

forklift passes beneath the horizontal crossbar 

(i.e., the operator creates an “under-ride”), the 

crossbar can enter the operator’s compartment 

and crush the operator inside the compartment. 

The Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration’s (OSHA) Integrated 

Management Information System data for the 

period of 1993 through 2008 indicate that at 

least nine employees have been killed and three 

employees sustained severe crushing injuries 

when operating a standup forklift in reverse. 

These forklifts did not have a protective rear 

guard or corner post to prevent under-ride from 

occurring. 

Accident Description 

The OSHA Cleveland Area Office investigated 

a fatality at a warehouse where a standup 

forklift operator was found pinned between the 

lower horizontal crossbar of a storage-rack 

shelving system and the interior of the 

operator’s compartment. The horizontal 

crossbar of the shelving system was 55 inches 

(140 centimeters) above the floor, while the top 

surface of the operator’s compartment was only 

49 inches (124 centimeters) above the floor. 

This left a space of 6 inches (15 centimeters) 

between the crossbar and the top surface of the 

operator’s compartment. Although the forklift 

had an overhead guard, the shelving rack was 

not positioned at the same level as the guard to 

prevent the under-ride from occurring. When 

the operator traveled with the forks trailing, the 

forklift passed under the crossbar, which struck 

the operator above the waist and pinned his 

torso against a part of the operator’s 

compartment. The operator died of 

asphyxiation injuries. 

This photograph depicts a forklift under a 

storage rack after an under-ride accident. 

The crossbar is protruding above the 

operator’s cab. Forklift manufacturers have 

various features available to assist in 

preventing such under-rides. 
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OSHA’s Standard Requirements

Proper training is essential to the safe operation 

of powered industrial trucks. Paragraph (l) of 

OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks Standard, 

29 CFR 1910.178, contains training and 

certification requirements for the use of 

forklifts that are specific to the workplace. The 

standard requires employers to develop and 

implement a training program for all operators 

based on the general principles of safe truck 

operation; the types of vehicles being used in 

the workplace, including the instructions, 

warnings, and precautions found in the 

operator’s manual; the hazards of the 

workplace created by the use of the vehicle; 

and the general safety requirements of the 

OSHA standard.

Additionally, 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(1) and 

(n)(6) require operators to keep the forklift 

under control at all times and to look in the 

direction of travel.

Recommendations 

The following recommendations will reduce 

the risk of under-ride hazards associated with 

operating standup forklifts. 

Employers should evaluate their worksite to 

determine if an under-ride hazard exists. If 

there are rack crossbars or similar obstructions 

in the facility, the employer should take one or 

more of the following actions: 

1. If possible, make modifications to the 

shelving system. 

• Adjust the shelf heights so that 

the body of the forklift below 

the operator’s compartment will 

strike the rack in the event of 

contact, preventing under-ride 

from occurring. 

• Adjust the shelf heights so that 

the forklift’s overhead guard 

will strike the rack in the event 

of contact, preventing under-ride 

from occurring. 

 2. Install a barrier, even with the outer 

edge of the storage rack (such as a curb 

or floor level shelf), so that the bottom 

of the forklift will strike the curb or 

shelf in the event of contact, preventing 

an under-ride from occurring. 

 3. Purchase, where appropriate, standup 

forklifts that have corner posts, 

extended backrests, rear post guards, or 

other features to prevent an under-ride 

from occurring. (Specific guards or 

other means that enhance safe 

operations would be determined 

through cooperation between the user 

and manufacturer (see ANSI /ITSDF 

B56.1-2005, para.4.5.3, 7.30, and 

7.36).) 

4. Contact the manufacturer to discuss 

installing rear post guards or other 

equivalent protections that address the 

under-ride hazard on existing standup 

forklifts. These posts may be available 

from the forklift manufacturer. (Note 

that modifications and additions which 

affect safe operation shall not be 

performed by the customer or user 

without the manufacturer’s prior written 

approval. 29 CFR 1910.178 (a)(4).) 

5. Evaluate control methods to assure that 

guards do not limit visibility, present 

pinch-point hazards, or add any 

additional hazard to forklift operators or 

other employees on the site. 

6. Train employees to operate forklifts 

safely as required by paragraph (l) of 29 

CFR 1910.178, including recognizing 

the hazards of the workplace created by 

the use of the vehicles. 

7. Refer to the Powered Industrial 

Trucks (Forklift) eTool as a resource for 

information to keep employees who 

operate forklifts safe on the job. The 

eTool provides a review of potential 

hazards and a summary of key OSHA 
4

Upper rack is positioned at the same level as the 

overhead guard, preventing the possibility of an 

under-ride. The forklift shown in this photograph 

has an overhead guard and an extended backrest. 

Kits with additional posts are other safety features 

that are available on many forklifts. 

Photo Courtesy of Momentive Performance Materials.

requirements and industryrecommended practices for forklift 

operations. 

 

Note: It is a violation of Federal 

law for anyone UNDER 18 years of 

age to operate a forklift in nonagricultural employment. (See 

OSHA Safety and Health Bulletin 

03-09-30, Protecting Young 

Workers: Prohibition Against 

Young Workers Operating 

Forklifts.) 

 

Conclusion 

Minimizing the potential for serious or fatal 

injuries to standup forklift operators is the 

primary concern of this SHIB. Following the 

safe work practices recommended in this SHIB, 

and training employees as required in OSHA 

regulations, will help accomplish this goal. 

 

References 

1. OSHA Integrated Management 

Information System (IMIS), 1993-

2005.

2. American National Standard 

ANSI/ITSDF B56.1-2005, Safety 

Standard for Low Lift and High Lift 

Trucks, Industrial Truck Standards 

Development Foundation.

3. Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) 

eTool at 

http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/et

ools/pit/index.html

4. Safety and Health Information 

Bulletin, 03-09-30, Protecting Young 

 Workers: Prohibition Against Young 

 Workers Operating Forklifts.