Several readers of Occupational Hazards magazine have inquired about the August issue's Compliance Monitor (page 27) on material handling (forklifts). They questioned whether the list of "mandatory equipment" on powered industrial trucks was properly attributed to OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.178.
Only overhead protection is a requirement in the OSHA standard. The editor inadvertently attributed the other "requirements" to the OSHA standard. Horns (section 7.33 under "warning device") and wheel plates (section 7.30 under "guards for wheels") are included in voluntary standard ASME/ANSI B56.1-2000. On-board fire extinguishers are mentioned in voluntary standard NFPA/ANSI 505-1999. Back-up alarms are not required by OSHA or ANSI. Although restraint systems or seat belts are not in the OSHA standard, the agency has issued citations for lack of a restraint system or seat belt, using the general-duty clause.
Occupational Hazards apologizes for the confusion that this has caused.