Let a Forklift Safety System Work to Keep Material Handling Safe

Safe forklift load handling is a critical topic that all forklift operators need to fully understand and practice. According to OSHA, the weight, size, position, load capacity, maximum load moment, balance and stability are all vital to safe forklift load handing. There are lots of training available to ensure it is done with accuracy. But wait… what does forklift load handling have to do with a forklift safety system? Well it’s one thing to have safe forklift load handing, but what happens when you start moving with the load. The operator is in a busy facility… not alone with all of the space in the world.

What is Safe Load Handing with a Forklift Safety Systems?

There is no question that to a large part of the forklift operators job is to safely balance the materials from its point of origin to a new location. But the space in between is what is in question. The load, as we know should be carried only a few inches from the ground. However, that doesn’t mean that the forklift operator can see everything around them. The load can be tall, tall and wide, or just wide. It can be light, heavy, odd sized or a pallet. But there are challenges… seeing what’s around and bumping the load.

Pedestrians Trust that You Can See

Pedestrians walking around the facility, or workers that are busy picking or putting away orders are in their own zone. They are work to accomplish and are under the same pressure of productivity as the forklift operator. People expect that since the forklift operator has been trained and they are driving the forklift all day, they know what they are doing and it’s ‘safe’. However, the reality is a bit different.

Forklift operators are tasked with ‘seeing’ everything. They are not mom with a special set of eyes in the back of their heads. Forklift operators are concentrating on the task at hand…balancing the load to ensure safe transport. They are constantly tasked with performing multiple tasks at the same time. This is where the extra set of eyes come in. And no, we’re not bringing in mom to the job.

Forklift Safety System

AI technology is finally here to help the forklift operator ‘see’. It’s the extra set of eyes that’s constantly watching and scanning every 60ms like the SIERA.AI forklift safety system. It is identifying when there’s a person within a defined distance. It’s also identifying when there is an object in the way.

This is what the forklift operator needs in order to do the job safely. The operator will get both visual and audio alerts ‘showing’ the operator what is in the vicinity. A person or an object. This distinction is critical for the operator. Now there’s one other distinction that is asked. What if it’s both? What if there is a person and an object together?

Partial Human Detection

A worker can certainly be bending down, crouched behind a box and all you see are the feet or an elbow sticking up. If the operator thinks it’s only boxes, the operator may try to get the boxes out of the way. The person behind the boxes can easily get injured or killed. But because the forklift safety system by SIERA.AI has partial human detection, the person will be identified first so the operator knows. Injury avoided.

Final Thoughts…

The forklift operator has a lot to contend with each day, especially safe forklift load handling. Give them the ability to keep a high level of production…safely with a SIERA.AI forklift safety system. Let us give you a demo of the system.

Contact us today at sales@siera.ai or call us at (512) 817 0702.