Forklift Safety for Loading Docks Fixed with AI Based Technology
Safety+Health’s “On the Safe Side” podcast featured Reginald Jackson, safety and health specialist in the Office of General Industry and Agricultural Enforcement. This is a part of OSHA. Mr. Jackson gave an informative podcast about the safety measures for loading dock safety. One of the areas that we will take a step further in our discussion is forklift safety for loading docks. Although he outlined 5 steps for safe operation, forklift safety for loading docks with technology was overlooked.
What is Forklift Safety for Loading Docks?
Loading docks is an area where safety is paramount. As stated in the podcast, there were a few areas that needed attention and exploration. These include observing the work area, applying controls such as lighting, ergonomics and ventilation, preventing areas where falls can occur, controlling traffic of people and equipment and of course, forklifts.
Forklift Safety for Loading Docks
Forklifts frequently have obstacles to overcome in order to avoid forklift accidents. It can be a difficult task as forklifts need to watch for pedestrians, be cautious so product doesn’t get damaged and get the job done of moving product on and off of the trailer. That is a lot to monitor at one time and the chances of an accident are pretty good. What can be done to avoid these key areas with technology? Let’s take a closer look.
- Inspecting the Trailer Prior to Working on the Loading Docks
SIERA.AI have had customers implement this loading dock checklist to ensure safety prior to beginning their work. Customers have shared that they developed a checklist within our digital checklist for pre-operation when the forklift is ready to begin work on the loading docks.
When the forklift is ready to begin, they begin to answer the questions on their forklift safety system. The questions were derived by the customer based on their environment. Sometimes it is 3 questions, others have 7 to 10. The question displays on the tablet and the forklift operator answers each one. If in the event, the forklift operator answers a question where there is a problem, a notification is sent to one to many individuals notifying of the problem. These individuals can go to the site and determine what the problem is, and how to fix it to avoid it happening again.
- Watching for Others with Technology
Forklift safety systems are a perfect way to watch for pedestrians whether they are worker, vendors or people who come in off of the street (which hopefully they don’t). A pedestrian detection system scans the environment every 60ms searching for pedestrians. When the AI based, machine learning forklift safety system identifies a person in its entirety or a partial detection, (meaning a foot, arm, elbow, head, hat etc), then the forklift safety system will warn the forklift driver that a person is within its path and immediate action needs to be taken.
When the forklift driver is notified, the digital screen will have an audio and visual alarm. The audio is a loud sound to gain the driver’s attention and the visual is a flashing symbol of a person so the driver knows what is within the path. What if there’s a box or a pallet?
- Watching for Objects with AI Based Technology
If there is an object, any object within the forklift’s path, the same process will occur as above. The difference is that the symbol will be of a box rather than a person to notify the forklift operator that an object is within its path and again, action needs to be taken.
The AI based, machine learning technology will know if there is a box or person and will notify of the difference. This is critical when the forklift operator is coming out of the trailer. People and objects are many times within the entrance of the trailer. This helps to keep everyone and everything safe.
- Data Collection
Information collected is stored in the telemetry dashboard for further analysis. This is crucial to analyze, monitor and change any issues within the area so accident prone areas never get the chance to materialize.
Contact us today to view the type of information collected in the telemetry Dashboard.
Contact Us!
Contact us today at sales@siera.ai or call us at (512) 817 0702.