Automate & Control the Forklift Lockout with a Telemetry Dashboard

Forklift lockout tagout is a critical aspect of forklift safety. Even though the OSHA regulation has been around for approximately thirty years, it’s been one of the most least implemented programs. Studies find that up to 3 out of 10 employers have no forklift lockout tagout program. In addition, only 10% of companies run an effective forklift lockout tagout program. How can a forklift safety system help make a forklift lockout tagout a reality?

What is Forklift Lockout Tagout?

A forklift lockout tagout is used when a lift truck is no longer operational, and/or needs to be removed from circulation for safety reasons. The equipment is to be completely shut off and kept from restarting in order to ensure it is repaired. The purpose is to safeguard the forklift driver, pedestrians and the facility itself from injury and damage.

What are the Benefits?

By implementing a procedure for forklift lockout tagout, there are numerous benefits that can result. These include:

• The reduction of over 300,000 accidents, injuries and fatalities each year
• Reduce insurance costs
• Reduce employee medical costs, time off costs
• Eliminate temporary worker costs
• Improve productivity by keeping good lift trucks working and risky ones out
• Minimize lift truck downtime

Now that we know the importance of a forklift lockout tagout, what can we do to ensure it gets used?

Forklift Safety System

SIERA.AI’s forklift safety system includes forklift lockout or access control. Let’s talk for a minute as to what the forklift safety system accomplishes.

A forklift safety system ensures that the digital checklist gets done. The forklift safety system eliminates the paper and transitions the questions from paper into a digital format. The forklift driver needs to scan his badge or enter a PIN in order to begin the process. The forklift will not start without this procedure being done.

Once the identification is complete, the forklift driver begins to answer the OSHA compliance forklift safety questions. It is not limited to the OSHA questions, you can also add, delete or modify your own questions.

How to Ensure the Questions are Answered Accurately?

The SIERA.AI S2 Digital Checklist allows you to randomize the questions AND randomize the answers. This makes the forklift driver read each question AND answers in order to input the correct data. If the driver tries to answer too quickly, just to get it done, the operator could be answering it incorrectly where the forklift inspection fails and again…the forklift will not start.

Telemetry Dashboard

The cloud-based telemetry Dashboard captures all of the information that we just discussed above along with additional data such as near misses, impact detection and failed inspections. If an inspection fails, the forklift will not start and a notification is sent to whoever needs to be informed.

Next, if a manager decides that Asset 123 needs to be pulled from the fleet for maintenance or a defect, for example, then the manager can toggle a switch in the back of the telemetry Dashboard and the forklift becomes inoperable.

Digitizing and automating the lockout tagout procedure can ensure a much higher result than 10%. Contact us at sales@siera.ai and we’ll show you how the feature works.