Repeat after me . . . forklifts are for materials, not for men.

Twenty to twenty-five years ago it was an acceptable practice to lift up a coworker using the forks of a forklift. You could also be extra safe and get a pallet to let the employee stand on something.

Then we got safer and designed and made little manlift boxes that would fit over the forks of a forktruck to really be safe. They had even had guardrails on them and a toe tick.

However as time has gone by we’ve certainly gotten a lot smarter . . . or at least some of us. This appeared on the ABC13 website recently:

Worker dies following construction accident in northwest Harris County
Wednesday, May 11, 2016 HOUSTON (KTRK) --

A worker is dead after a construction accident in northwest Harris County.

It happened just before 10am in the 18500 block of Bridgeland Creek near Fry Road. According to Precinct 5, workers were in a wooden boxon a forklift as it was being lifted. The box began to shift. One worker jumped out safely, but we're told a second worker fell to the ground and the box fell on top of him.

CPR was performed, but the worker was unresponsive. OSHA is investigating.

Yes, manlift attachments on forklifts can be purchased and can be utilized if they meet the various criteria set forth by OSHA but from a practicality standpoint it just doesn’t make sense. There is other powered equipment that is specifically designed to lift personnel safely while giving them complete control.