Six Hidden Forklift Hazards Most Compliance Audits Miss in 2025

Updated May 2025 – reflects OSHA FY 2024 citation data

Why this matters now

Forklifts (Powered Industrial Trucks, 29 CFR 1910.178) ranked No. 6 on OSHA’s Top 10 violation list for fiscal 2024, with 2,248 citations issued.   The cost stings: serious violations start at $16,550 each, while willful or repeated offenses top $165,000. 

Below are six hazards that inspectors keep finding — and practical steps to eliminate them before the next audit.

1. Expired or “paper-only” operator certification

Citation focus: 1910.178(l)(1)(i) – refresher training every 3 years.

Fix: Move certificates into a digital LMS that links badge scans to truck start-up. No badge, no ignition.

2. Blind-corner collisions in mixed-traffic aisles

OSHA rule: drivers must slow and sound the horn at obstructed views. 1910.178(n)(4) & (n)(6). 

Fix: Convex mirrors help, but AI vision that detects two converging paths and triggers a strobe or voice alert cuts reaction time to under one second.

3. Over-speeding and inadequate stopping distance

Most citations list “excessive speed” in the narrative.

Fix: Install speed governors for baseline control, then layer AI speed-plus-context detection — alerts only when velocity is unsafe for that zone, not on every straightaway.

4. Near misses that never get logged

OSHA’s recommended practices call for investigating close calls, not just recordable injuries. 

Fix: Near-miss analytics from CCTV auto-log close calls, attach a short clip, and feed them into weekly toolbox talks.

5. Forklifts kept in service while “in need of repair”

Citation focus: 1910.178(p)(1).

Fix: Pair hour-meter data with a CMMS. Require a photo walk-around before the PIN unlocks; any flagged item parks the truck.

6. Loads raised or tilted while traveling

Loads above travel height or tilted pallets appear in many OSHA reports.

Fix: Vision AI flags forks higher than recommended or pallets skewed more than 10 degrees, prompting an audible cue.

forklift-safety-self-audit-checklist-osha-1910-178-seeteria.pdf

Download PDF • 210KB

FAQ

Is 1910.178 still in the OSHA Top 10 for 2025?

Preliminary FY 2025 data keep Powered Industrial Trucks firmly in the list. Expect scrutiny to remain high.

Do I need new cameras for AI vision?

No. Seeteria retrofits existing CCTV feeds with on-premise or cloud processing.

How fast can we pilot?

Typical sites connect in about two weeks and start seeing actionable heat-map data within 30 days.