Industry Safety Innovations for Lift Trucks
With advancements in safety through industry innovations, we will look at safety add-ons (accessories) that will help make operating forklifts within your workplace safer – for an affordable investment.
This article will focus on forklifts in a warehouse, though some safety attachments can be beneficial to other types of equipment found in the workplace. Each and every year there are too many accidents and fatalities, resulting from forklift tip-overs or struck-by forklifts, which can be avoided if proper safety measures and procedures are in place. Some are as simple as following rules and guidelines, while others are simply paying attention to your surroundings.
Orange Safety Seatbelt (approx. $100.00 USD)
While wearing a seatbelt seems like common sense, many operators fail to utilize this vital safety restraint, which is a predominant factor in fatalities due to tip-overs. Supervisors and managers are continually battling with operators to ensure seatbelt compliance, while some companies offer warnings as discipline, others will terminate employment should operators continually ‘forget’ to comply.
Most operators we speak with complain that they continually mount and dismount the lift truck which adds a time factor to production. In most companies we do not understand why this should concern the operator until we dig a little deeper into the company policies and practices. With some corporations, production is vital and in order to please management, production levels must be achieved. In other cases, operators are rewarded based upon performance (speed) of completing a specific task or multiple tasks throughout a day. In either of these circumstances, the priority of safety is placed second to production and results in the potential of incidents and accidents.
Linde BlueSpot™ Warning System (approx. $500.00/pair USD)
The BlueSpot™ LED warning light attaches to the front and rear of a lift truck which projects a light (red or blue), in either a circle or arrow, on the ground approximately 10-20 feet in front or behind the unit as it is travelling. This visually pre-warns pedestrians of an oncoming forklift well before the forklift may become visible to the pedestrian or other mobile equipment operators.
In warehousing, most companies have converted to using electric forklifts within the warehouse and for loading trucks/trailers. While there are enormous benefits of using electric forklifts, we find that they tend to be very quiet, which creates a large safety concern.
While most units are equipped with a back-up warning alarm, after repeated exposure, pedestrians tend to block-out the sound as it becomes irritating. Pedestrians also tend to ‘be in the zone’ while completing a task and as a result can place them into hazardous situations. The addition of the BlueSpot™ light can easily draw the attention to the forklift, in which we feel will be extremely beneficial in reducing struck-by accidents. Using the BlueSpot™ in conjunction with a safety beacon light will warn pedestrians and operators in direct proximity and those a great distance away.
Accu-Tilt (approx. $170.00 USD)
The Accu-Tilt fork level indicator is an excellent add-on for counterbalanced forklifts as it visually
indicates to an operator when the mast (forks) is level. This product will help reduce the forks from either piercing loads or snagging loads upon exit and entry, thus eliminating expenses related to damaged products.
While picking up a load on the ground may seem easy to level the forks, the higher the forks are raised, the harder it becomes to level the mast (forks) to the load. For beginner operators, we find that levelling the forks at the 3rd or 4th stage in the racking system tends to be difficult and the addition of the Accu-Tilt will take the guess work out of levelling the forks.
Ergo Back-Up Handle (approx. $60.00-$150.00 USD)
The ergo back-up handle attaches to the rear overhead guard post and provides the operator with a safe handle to grab while backing up, eliminating the hand from any pinch points (also preventing the operator from holding the overhead guard post). Some models of the back-up handle are equipped with a horn button which makes the convenience of honking the horn while backing up effortless.
While there is no specific study to determine the percentage a forklift operates in reverse, we would estimate the number to be close to 50%. Adding ergonomic options will help reduce strain on the body, while making the task of reversing safer. A forklift seat turntable is also a great option if your operators are reversing for lengthy periods of time.
Other items to consider for forklift safety include rear and side view mirrors (in some cases, this is mandated by law), seatbelt ignition kill switch, brake/reverse lights and head lights. Please note: Should any of the above items need to be installed by drilling holes or making alterations, prior consent from the manufacturer is required along with a designated person conducting the alteration.
While none of the above items can guarantee that no further incidents or accidents will occur, they will indeed reduce the potential of an occurrence. Care and skill of both mobile equipment operators and pedestrians is still imperative. We hope you take the safe route and implement additional safety accessories to your lift trucks – work safe, stay safe!
Naveen Nand, Manager
NIS Training