Have you ever had a forklift operator that likes to ram the fork tips into the pallet behind the pallet they are picking up? Sometimes it causes a puncture to the load behind, sometimes they are lifting the load behind; lots of bad things happen when they get more than they're supposed to.
In addition to cushioning the load they need to pick up, Fork Kushions thickness of 1½" to 2-3/8" may be just enough to prevent the dreaded misdeeds of too long forks.