General

1. Always ensure that the load is stable, secure and doesn’t obstruct your vision.

2. Avoid overloading the hand truck, dolly or pallet jack.

3. Keep the center of gravity of the load as low as possible by putting the heavier object below the lighter ones.

4. Secure bulky, irregular or fragile items.

5. Keep your feet clear of the wheels and maintain good balance when moving the device.

6. Pay special attention to your surroundings to avoid jamming hands between the device and door jambs or other objects.

7. Store hand trucks, dollies and pallet jacks in a designated area where they will not become an obstruction or tripping hazard.

8. Check routes in advance to make sure ramps, elevators and dock boards can handle the load.

9. Always operate at a controllable speed.

Hand Trucks & Dollies

1. Position the load over the hand truck's axles so that the hand truck, not the handles, carries the weight.

2. When moving down stairs or on an incline, keep the hand truck ahead. When going up stairs or an incline, keep the hand truck behind.

1. Avoid the movement of loaded pallet jacks up or down ramps whenever possible.

2. If you have to make an emergency stop on a ramp, stop the pallet jack by lowering the load.

3. Use only the neutral position when maneuvering loads with pallet jacks to reduce operator fatigue.

4. Always work uphill from the pallet truck when moving loads up or down a ramp.