Key Terms

Bridge plate: A short, flat span, often made of steel or aluminum, used to bridge a gap from one area to another in a material handling operation, as from a loading dock to a truck trailer or railroad car. Forklifts regularly cross such spans when loading and unloading. Also called dockboard or dock plate.

Designations of powered industrial trucks: The 11 designations of industrial trucks and tractors as follows: D, DS, DY, E, ES, EE, EX, G, GS, LP, and LPS. These will be described in a later section.

Forklift: A small vehicle with two power-operated prongs at the front that can be slid under heavy loads and then raised for moving and stacking materials in warehouses, shipping depots, and so forth. Also called forklift truck, fork truck, or powered industrial truck (PIT).

Nameplate (also called a data label): A label securely affixed to a forklift or PIT that identifies information about vehicle weight, attachment weight, load capacity, and load center.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An agency of the United States Department of Labor established by Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970.

Powered industrial truck (PIT): The category of vehicles that includes forklifts.

To learn more about Forklift Safety visit our Forklift Safety Online Training web page.