Top 4 Forklift Safety Hazards

Forklift safety hazards are part of the forklift operator’s job. There’s always a risk at every turn whether it be a pedestrian, a spill on the floor, uneven surface or another piece of equipment. But do you know what the top 6 forklift safety hazards are? Let’s take a look at the most popular safety hazards in the facility today.  But first…

What is a Forklift Safety Hazard?

A forklift safety hazard occurs when the forklift is in motion throughout the facility and encounter obstacles that can cause an accident that leads to injury, damage or death. It’s critical for safety managers to be aware of the most common forklift safety hazards and to take action to minimize the risk within the facility. OSHA has put together a list of hazards commonly found within the facility. By printing out the graphic they put together, can help remind us all of the various hazards found within the facility.

Blind Spot

We all know the term blind spot since most of us drive a car. We take precautions by using side view mirrors and looking over our shoulder. Yet, car accidents continue to occur. Is driving a forklift truck any different? No. Actually, blind spots are more dangerous for forklift drivers as they are multi-tasking. They are working and driving, where car drivers are only driving the vehicle. Now add poor lighting conditions, weather conditions especially if near the dock area and we’ve increased the blind spot problem.

One solution that works to avert these issues is with a pedestrian detection system and an object detection system. Can you get both? Yes, the S3 PDS by SIERA.AI will separately identify if there is a pedestrian in the vicinity or an object. The forklift driver will get a visual symbol, box for an object or person symbol for a human, followed by audio alerts. The combination of the two will alert the driver to take action.

Loads

Not everyone will be moving pallets of toilet paper or cotton balls. Many move large steel items, items that are heavy on one side and light on the other, or pallets that can be unevenly distributed by weight. When this occurs, the load can be insecure. We’ve read plenty of forklift accidents where the driver stands up in the cabin to adjust the load. We know where this goes… Yup, accident with injury and/or death.

The best solution is ongoing training with reminders. To avoid others from getting hurt with these special loads is to use a technology based forklift safety system. This will help to keep people out of the way from harm.

Floor Conditions

There are many issues that go along with the floor. This can range from spills on the floor, weather related conditions making its way onto the floor from the outside, potholes, uneven surface, and much more. These floor conditions are forklift safety hazards as the forklift can slide and hit the racking system or a person or it can drop its load which can damage the facility and cause injury to workers nearby. Floors are to be checked and repaired regularly in order to ensure safety for all.

Maneuvering the Forklift

The forklift isn’t flexible. It is a machine that is made to move loads from one area to the next. When a forklift is carrying a load, all drivers know the forklift is to go in reverse in order to ‘see’ pedestrians and other obstacles. Driving in reverse is not easy even if the driver is experienced. Now let’s add corners. Depending on the type of forklift, turning corners can be different for each type of forklift. Add a load to the forklift and watch out racks, workers and anything else in its way.

There are two ways to handle the situation. The first is to decide if you want to be notified of an issue and the second is if you want the forklift operator to be alerted. If notification is what you want and measure the amount of impacts, then the S2 impact detection with digital checklist is what you need. If you want to alert the driver because you know you have too many impacts, then the S3 PDS is the solution. Take a moment to review both solutions on the SIERA.AI website.

Overall

Forklift safety systems can help identify and alert when forklift safety hazards are around. Be sure to contact sales@siera.ai to discuss what is going on within your facility so we can match the right solution to your need.