Forklift Hand Signals

The standard hand signals forklift spotters use, where they really come from, and a free poster to print for your dock or warehouse.

The short answer

OSHA's forklift rule has no hand signal chart. The signals forklift spotters use are borrowed from OSHA's standard hand signals for cranes, in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, Appendix A. Below are the 11 signals from that chart that fit forklifts and telehandlers, drawn the way OSHA describes them, plus a free printable poster. Whatever chart you use, agree on it with every operator and spotter before work starts.

Does OSHA have a forklift hand signal chart?

No. The word "signal" does not appear anywhere in 29 CFR 1910.178, OSHA's rule for forklifts and other powered industrial trucks. What the rule does require is that the operator can see where the truck is going:

  • "The driver shall be required to look in the direction of, and keep a clear view of the path of travel." (1910.178(n)(6))
  • The driver must slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and other places where vision is obstructed, and travel with the load trailing if it blocks the forward view. (1910.178(n)(4))

OSHA's Powered Industrial Trucks eTool, which is guidance rather than a rule, says: "Sound your horn in warning or use a spotter if your view is obstructed." It does not say which signals the spotter should use. So for ordinary forklift work, the employer chooses the signals. There is no federal forklift chart to follow.

Where do forklift hand signals come from?

From cranes. OSHA's construction crane standard includes a chart of hand signals it calls the Standard Method (29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, Appendix A). Crane operators and signal persons must use it when they signal by hand, except where it is infeasible or doesn't cover the operation (1926.1419(c)(1)).

Forklift charts adapt those gestures. A forklift tire supplier's guide, for example, turns Hoist into "raise the forks" and Lower into "lower the forks", and keeps Stop, Emergency stop, Move slowly, Travel and Dog everything as they are. The industry standard for rough terrain forklifts doesn't fill the gap either: the 2005 edition of ANSI/ITSDF B56.6 we checked has no hand signal chart.

Past the basics, forklift charts don't agree. The same thumbs-up gesture, arm straight out to the side, means three different things on three charts:

Chart Thumb up, arm out to the side, means
OSHA crane chart (Standard Method) Raise boom
WSCC forklift chart (Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada) Raise load
Forklift tire supplier's guide (above) Tilt mast back

An operator who moved from one site to another could raise a load when the spotter meant tilt. That is why the signals on this page keep OSHA's gestures and OSHA's names, and why the most important rule is simple: one chart per site, and everyone trained on it.

What are the standard forklift hand signals?

Seven signals from OSHA's chart fit everyday forklift work. Each drawing follows OSHA's chart and description, quoted under it. The signaler faces you, the way the operator sees them, and orange arrows show movement.

Stop

Stop the movement you are making.

OSHA: "With arm extended horizontally to the side, palm down, arm is swung back and forth."

Emergency stop

Stop everything at once. Obey it from anyone.

OSHA: "With both arms extended horizontally to the side, palms down, arms are swung back and forth."

Dog everything

Pause. Hold everything where it is.

OSHA: "Hands held together at waist level."

Hoist

Raise the forks or load.

OSHA: "With upper arm extended to the side, forearm and index finger pointing straight up, hand and finger make small circles."

Lower

Lower the forks or load.

OSHA: "With arm and index finger pointing down, hand and finger make small circles."

Move slowly

Make the signaled move slowly. Shown here with Hoist: raise slowly.

OSHA: "A hand is placed in front of the hand that is giving the action signal."

Travel/Tower travel

Drive in the direction of the push.

OSHA: "With all fingers pointing up, arm is extended horizontally out and back to make a pushing motion in the direction of travel."

What are the telehandler hand signals?

A telehandler's boom also raises, lowers, and telescopes, so its spotter can use four more signals on top of the seven above. OSHA's chart has a signal for each.

Raise boom

Raise the boom.

OSHA: "With arm extended horizontally to the side, thumb points up with other fingers closed."

Lower boom

Lower the boom.

OSHA: "With arm extended horizontally to the side, thumb points down with other fingers closed."

Extend telescoping boom

Telescope the boom out.

OSHA: "With hands to the front at waist level, thumbs point outward with other fingers closed."

Retract telescoping boom

Telescope the boom in.

OSHA: "With hands to the front at waist level, thumbs point at each other with other fingers closed."

One case takes the choice away. When a forklift or telehandler doing construction work is rigged to hoist and lower a hanging load with a winch or hook and move it horizontally, OSHA's construction crane standard covers it (1926.1400(a) and (c)(8)). Then:

  • A signal person is required when the operator can't fully see the load's path or landing spot, when the view in the direction of travel is blocked, or when the operator or the person handling the load decides one is needed (1926.1419(a)).
  • Hand signals must follow OSHA's Standard Method (1926.1419(c)(1)).
  • The chart must be posted on the equipment or near the lift (1926.1422).
  • The signal person must be qualified by a written or oral test and a practical test (1926.1428).

The full OSHA chart also includes crane-only signals left off this page, such as Swing and Use main hoist. Telehandler maker Genie reprints 14 of the chart's signals, word for word, in its GTH-1056 operator's manual, in the section on lifting suspended loads. For the training side, see our telehandler certification guide.

Is there a hand signal for tilting the mast?

Not in OSHA's chart. It has no signal for tilting the mast, side shifting, or showing how far is left to go. Some forklift charts add their own, and as the table above shows, they don't match each other.

If your spotters need one of these, pick the gesture before work starts, write it down, add it to your posted chart, and show it to every operator and spotter. That is also how OSHA's crane rule handles signals that aren't in its chart: the signal person and the operator must agree on them before the operation (1926.1419(c)(2)). Never invent a signal in the middle of a lift.

When should a forklift use a spotter?

Whenever the operator can't see where the truck or the load is going. That is the eTool's test: "use a spotter if your view is obstructed." Typical cases:

  • A tall load blocks the view and the truck can't travel with the load trailing. Going up a grade steeper than 10 percent is one: a loaded truck must be driven with the load upgrade (1910.178(n)(7)(i)), so the load is in front.
  • Placing or picking a load high on a rack where the operator can't see the fork tips.
  • Backing out of a trailer, a doorway, or a tight aisle with a poor view behind.
  • A telehandler landing a load at a spot the operator can't see from the cab.

A spotter adds a set of eyes. The operator still has to look in the direction of travel under 1910.178(n)(6). For keeping people on foot safe around trucks in general, see our forklift pedestrian safety guide.

What are the rules for spotters and operators?

OSHA's crane rules spell out how signaling works. They don't cover ordinary forklift work, but they are a good model, and the last one repeats rules already in the forklift standard:

  • One signaler at a time. "Only one person may give signals to a crane/derrick at a time" (1926.1419(h)). The operator follows only the assigned spotter.
  • Anyone can call Stop. The operator must obey a stop or emergency stop signal "irrespective of who gives it" (1926.1417(y)), and anyone who sees a safety problem must give it (1926.1419(j)).
  • Signal from the operator's point of view. Directions are given "from the operator's direction perspective" (1926.1419(k)).
  • Lost contact means stop. If signals are interrupted, the operator stops until contact is back and a proper signal is given and understood (1926.1419(f)).
  • Operator sees a problem? Stop and talk. Work resumes only when operator and signaler agree the problem is fixed (1926.1419(g)).
  • Spotters stand clear. Never between the truck and a wall, rack, or other fixed object, and never under raised forks. The forklift rule bans driving up to anyone standing in front of a fixed object (1910.178(m)(1)) and anyone standing or passing under the elevated part of a truck (1910.178(m)(2)).

Free forklift hand signals poster

Forklift hand signals poster (PDF)

One US Letter page with all 11 drawings from this page, OSHA's description for each, and the six spotter rules. No sign-up, no email. Post it at the dock, by the racking, and anywhere spotters work. OSHA requires a posted chart for crane lifts (1926.1422); for forklifts it is simply good practice.

Download the hand signals poster (PDF)

Are hand signals part of forklift certification?

Not by name, but they fit topics OSHA requires in operator training: visibility, "including restrictions due to loading" (1910.178(l)(3)(i)(F)), pedestrian traffic (l)(3)(ii)(D), and narrow aisles and other restricted places (l)(3)(ii)(E).

Your site's signals belong in the practical part of training, where operators practice with the spotters and trucks they will actually work with. OSHA training has three parts: formal instruction, practical training, and an evaluation in the workplace (1910.178(l)(2)(ii)). Our $59 online course covers the formal instruction. The employer still runs the hands-on training and evaluation and then certifies the operator (1910.178(l)(6)). Our forklift training program guide shows how the three parts fit together.

Frequently asked questions

Who can give a forklift operator the stop signal?
Anyone. OSHA's crane rules say the operator must obey a stop or emergency stop signal no matter who gives it (29 CFR 1926.1417(y)), and that anyone who spots a safety problem must give it (1926.1419(j)). Those rules are written for cranes, but they are the right rule for a forklift too. All other signals should come from one assigned spotter.
Are forklift hand signals the same as crane hand signals?
Mostly, yes. OSHA has no forklift hand signal chart, so forklift charts borrow from its crane chart and relabel a few signals, for example Hoist becomes raise the forks. Charts start to disagree once they add forklift moves like tilt, so pick one chart for your site and train everyone on it.
Does a forklift spotter need to be certified?
OSHA's forklift rule, 29 CFR 1910.178, has no requirement for spotters. The construction crane standard does: a signal person for a crane, or for a forklift or telehandler rigged to hoist a hanging load on a construction job, must be qualified by a written or oral test and a practical test (29 CFR 1926.1428). For ordinary forklift work, train spotters on your site's chart and on where to stand.
Can we use radios instead of hand signals?
Yes. Nothing in OSHA's forklift rule requires hand signals. The crane rule allows hand, voice, audible, or new signals, as long as they suit the site conditions (29 CFR 1926.1419(b) and (e)). Radios help in loud areas or when the spotter can't stay in the operator's view.
What does 'dog everything' mean?
Pause. It is a crane term for holding every motion where it is. Canada's federal workplace health and safety centre, CCOHS, describes it as a signal for moments like rain starting, a load that doesn't fit where it was planned, or a bystander getting too close. The gesture is both hands held together at waist level.

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