Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health
Ministry of Labour Ordinance No. 32 of September 30, 1972
Latest Amendments:
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 47 of March 30, 2007
In Japanese
掲載日：2008.03.28
Part II Safety Standards
Chapter I-2 Material Handling Machine, etc.
Section 1 Vehicle Type Material Handling Machine, etc.
Subsection 2 Forklift
Article 151-16 (Front and Rear Lamps)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, not use the one without front and rear lamps. However, this shall not apply to the place maintaining necessary illumination for carrying out the work safely.
Article 151-17 (Head Guard)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, not use the one without a head guard as provided for in the followings. However, this shall not apply to when it is unlikely to cause dangers to the operator of the forklift due to falling of cargo:
- (i) To have the strength withstanding against the uniformly distributed static load equivalent to two times of the maximum load of the forklift (4 tons in a case that the value exceeds 4 tons).
- (ii) To have the opening of the upper frame with the width or the length less than 16 cm.
- (iii) To have the height from an upper surface of a driver's seat to the lower surface of an upper frame of a head guard of 95 cm or more for the forklift operated by a driver sitting on its driver's seat.
- (iv) To have the height from the floor surface of the driver's seat to the lower surface of the upper frame of the head guard of1.8 m or more for the forklift operated by a driver standing.
Article 151-18 (Backrest)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, not use the one without a backrest. However, this shall not apply to when it is unlikely to cause dangers to workers due to falling of cargo on the rear of the mast.
Article 151-19 (Pallet, etc.)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a pallet or a skid used in the material handling work by a forklift, not use the one unless otherwise prescribed as follows:
- (i) To have sufficient strength corresponding to the weight of cargoes to be loaded.
- (ii) To be free from extremely damage, deformation and corrosion.
Article 151-20 (Restriction of Use)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, not use it at conditions exceeding the allowable load (meaning the maximum load that can be burdened corresponding to its structure and material of the forklift and the center of the gravity of the load to be loaded on the fork, etc. [meaning a device for loading cargo such as a fork, a ram]) and other capabilities.
Article 151-21 (Periodical Self-inspections)
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, carry out self-inspections for the following matters periodically once every period not exceeding one year. However, this shall not apply to the non-use period of a forklift, which is not used for a period exceeding one year:
- (i) Abnormalities in compression pressure, valve clearance and other parts of a prime mover.
- (ii) Abnormalities in a differential, a propeller shaft and other power transmission devices.
- (iii) Abnormalities in a tire, a wheel bearing and other traveling devices.
- (iv) Abnormalities in rotation angle of left and right steering wheels, a knuckle, a rod, an arm and other controlling devices.
- (v) Abnormalities in braking capability, a brake drum, a brake shoe and other braking devices.
- (vi) Abnormalities in a fork, a mast, chains, a chain wheel and other cargo handling devices.
- (vii) Abnormalities in a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, a cylinder, a safety valve and other parts of a hydraulic system.
- (viii) Abnormalities in voltage, amperage and other parts of an electrical system.
- (ix) Abnormalities in a body, a head guard, a backrest, a warning device, a direction indicator, a lightning device, a meter.
- (2) The employer shall, as regards the forklift set forth in the proviso of the preceding paragraph, carry out self-inspection for the matters listed in each item of the same paragraph before resuming the operation.
Article 151-22
- (1) The employer shall, as regards a forklift, carry out self-inspections for the following matters periodically once every period not exceeding one month. However, this shall not apply to the non-use period of a forklift, which is not used for a period exceeding one month:
- (i) Abnormalities in a braking device, a clutch and a controlling device.
- (ii) Abnormalities in a cargo handling device and a hydraulic system.
- (iii) Abnormalities in a head guard and a backrest.
- (2) The employer shall, as regards the forklift set forth in the proviso of the preceding paragraph, carry out self-inspection for the matters listed in each item of the same paragraph before resuming the operation.
Article 151-23 (Record of Periodical Self-inspections)
- (1) The employer shall, when having carried out the self-inspections set forth in the preceding two Articles, record the following matters and preserve the records for three years:
- (i) The date of the inspection
- (ii) The method of the inspection
- (iii) The parts of a machine inspected
- (iv) The results of the inspection
- (v) The name of the person who has carried out the inspection
- (vi) When measures such as repair have been taken based on the result of the inspection, their contents.
Article 151-24 (Specified Self-inspections)
- (1) The specified self-inspection pertaining to a forklift shall be the self-inspection prescribed by Article 151-21.
- (2) The worker who is in possession of the qualifications prescribed by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare set forth in paragraph (2) of Article 45 of the Act pertaining to a forklift shall be the person who falls under any of the following each item:
- (i) A person who falls under any of the following categories and has completed the training course provided by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare:
- (a) A person who has majored in and graduated from an engineering course of a university or a technical collage accredited under the School Education Act, and has experiences having engaged in the work of checkup or maintenance of a forklift for two years or longer or design or manufacture of a forklift for five years or longer.
- (b) A person who has majored in and graduated from an engineering course of a senior high school or a secondary education school accredited under the School Education Act and has experiences having engaged in the work of checkup or maintenance of a forklift for four years or longer or design or manufacture of a forklift for seven years or longer;
- (c) A person who has experiences having engaged in the work of checkup or maintenance of a forklift for seven years or longer or design or manufacture of a forklift for 10 years or longer;
- (d) A person who has experiences having engaged in the work by a forklift for 10 years or longer.
- (ii) Other persons provided by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
- (i) A person who falls under any of the following categories and has completed the training course provided by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare:
- (3) The employer shall, as regards the forklift (limited to the one subject to paragraph (1) of Article 48 of the Road Transportation Vehicle Act [Act No.185 of 1951]) used for the travelling prescribed by paragraph (5) of Article 2 of the same Act (hereinafter referred to as “travelling”), in the case when having checked pursuant to the provisions of the same paragraph, not be required to carry out the self-inspection set forth in Article 151-21 for the parts where the said checkup has been carried out.
- (4) As regards the application of the provision of the preceding Article in the case when having a registered inspection agency implement the specified self-inspection pertaining to a forklift, the term “the full of the person who has carried out the inspection” in item (v) of the same Article shall be deemed to be replaced with “the name of the registered inspection agency.”
- (5) The employer shall, when having carried out the specified self-inspection pertaining to a forklift, affix an inspection sticker stating the month and year when the said specified self-inspection was carried out at a readily visible location of the said forklift.
Article 151-25 (Checkup)
- (1) The employer shall, when carrying out the work using a forklift, check the following matters before commencing the work for the day:
- (i) Functions of a braking device and a controlling device.
- (ii) Functions of a cargo handling device and a hydraulic system.
- (iii) Abnormalities in a wheel.
- (iv) Functions of front and rear lamps, a direction indicator and a warning device.
Article 151-26 (Repair, etc.)
- (1) The employer shall, when having found any abnormalities in the case when having carried out the self-inspection set forth in Article 151-21 or 151-22, or the checkup set forth in the preceding Article, immediately repair or take other necessary measures.
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