Imagine you’re driving a forklift. You’ve been moving pallets all day when you’re asked to pick up an extra-large one. It’s not particularly heavy—just wide and long. You pull up to the pallet and realize your forks are too short to carry it safely.
What do you do?
You grab the fork extenders, attach them to the forklift, and move the pallet. Job done.
That scenario is probably common for forklift operators. But here’s the important question: Did you check the forklift’s data plate to ensure fork extenders are approved for your forklift?
Did you even know you were supposed to check?
If forklift operator training is being conducted properly—and followed—checking the data plate should be standard practice. But in reality, it happens far less than it should.
Understanding Forklift Attachments
There are many types of forklift attachments designed to improve efficiency and productivity. Some common examples include:
✅ Fork extenders (for longer and wider loads)
✅ Clamps (to grab and hold objects)
✅ Rotators (for dumping containers)
✅ Barrel forks and barrel clamps (for handling drums)
✅ Slip sheet forks (push/pull attachments) (for moving pallet-less loads)
✅ Man baskets (for safely lifting workers)
✅ Hitch adapters (for towing trailers)
If you don’t know what some of these are, it’s worth learning more—you might discover a tool that could make your operations more productive.
However, there’s one critical factor that applies to all these attachments:
They must be approved by the forklift manufacturer or a licensed professional engineer before use.
OSHA Regulations on Forklift Attachments
If an attachment came factory-installed, it’s already approved, and the data plate should reflect that. However, if an attachment is added later—such as fork extenders—the manufacturer must approve its use and issue a new data plate with updated capacity ratings.
This isn’t just a best practice—it’s a legal requirement under OSHA regulations:
🔹 OSHA 1910.178(a)(5):
“If the truck is equipped with front-end attachments other than factory-installed attachments, the user shall request that the truck be marked to identify the attachments and show the approximate weight of the truck and attachment combination at maximum elevation with load laterally centered.”
🔹 OSHA 1910.178(a)(4):
“Modifications and additions which affect capacity and safe operation shall not be performed by the customer or user without the manufacturer’s prior written approval. Capacity, operation, and maintenance instruction plates, tags, or decals shall be changed accordingly.”
If the manufacturer won’t approve an attachment or doesn’t respond to the inquiry, OSHA provides an alternative:
“If no response or a negative response is received from the manufacturer, written approval of the modification/addition from a qualified registered professional engineer is acceptable.”
In other words, if the manufacturer won’t certify the attachment, a licensed engineer must conduct a safety analysis and sign off on it before use.
Getting Manufacturer Approval for Forklift Attachments
Fortunately, getting written approval for forklift attachments is often easier than you might think.
I recently went through the process of getting approval for fork extenders on a Toyota forklift. Here’s how it worked:
- Contacted the local Toyota Forklift dealer and spoke with their service/parts department.
- Provided information about our forklift and the fork extenders we had purchased.
- The dealer submitted a request to Toyota for a new data plate.
- After paying the bill, I simply waited for the new data plate to arrive in the mail.
Two Final Considerations
1️. Multiple Data Plates May Be Required
If an attachment is not permanently installed (such as removable fork extenders), you must keep the original data plate on the forklift and add the new one showing the updated capacity with the attachment installed.
2️. Homemade or Custom Attachments Require More Scrutiny
If you buy a commercially available attachment, the manufacturer likely provides a data plate with capacity ratings.
If the attachment is homemade or custom made, you’ll likely need an engineer to evaluate it before it can be approved.
Need Approval for a Forklift Attachment?
If you have an attachment that the manufacturer won’t certify and need a licensed professional engineer to evaluate it, Alpine Engineering & Design can help. Reach out today to ensure your forklift attachments meet OSHA compliance and safety standards.