What is the Industry Demanding? 3 Top Forklift Safety Topics

Forklift safety topics are different than forklift safety tips. When we talk about forklift safety tips, we’re focused on a single topic providing various ways of staying safe. SIERA.AI has covered numerous topics providing tips. Tomorrow, we’ll be releasing, “5 Key Aerial Lift Safety Tips”. Be sure to watch out for it on our blog and on LinkedIn.

What are Forklift Safety Topics?

Forklift safety topics are the areas of concern that need to be addressed within your organization. Even though the topics can vary within the facility, it can have the underlying theme of safety. Let’s address some of the topics that we regularly discuss with customers.

An Increase in Inexperienced Forklift Drivers

Manufacturing, distribution centers and warehouses have all had challenging times with an increase in customer demand, overworked employees and very little applicants for vacant jobs. In the October 2021 Forbes magazine article, they cited ARC Advisor Group’s 2018 survey, “when warehouse executives were asked how many applicated they had received per job in 2013, the most common answer was between 6 and 10.” However, by 2018 the numbers went down to 2 and 5 applicants per job. Forbes reported that the Department of Labor suggests that there are multiple jobs for a single applicant.

Now for the Challenge

How to keep the new worker safe. As lift trucks continue to roam free in a facility, the risk of injury and fatalities loom greater than ever. As a result, safety technology has made its way to the top of the ‘must have’ list. However, not all forklift safety technology is the same. There are cameras, lidar sensors, and RFID technology. All decent solutions, but doesn’t solve the problem.

What Can?

Machine learning technology, the S3 Pedestrian Detection System. To begin, the S3 can identify between a human being and an object. That’s critical when your new driver is trying to work, drive, watch for pedestrians, and watch for objects all at the same time. With so much pressure on the new operator, the driver needs all the help he/she can get so mistakes don’t happen.

Digitizing for the OSHA Inspection

Digital transformation is the next forklift safety topic most companies are talking about. There were a lot of discussions around creating electronic forklift safety inspections, and the digitization process was moving slow but steady. However, once the Federal government began to mandate vaccination statuses, the digital process gained speed as managers realized the benefits of tracking.

Tracking Forklift Inspections

Facility managers and maintenance managers realized what information can be captured and tracked in a Dashboard. Not only can they track the answers to all of the questions, but also gain insights into safety scores, near misses and impacts to name a few.

Insurance Risk Assessor

Insurance companies like Liberty Mutual and Hartford Insurance work with manufacturing, warehouse and distribution centers on assessing the safety of the entire facility. One of the areas to be evaluated are the lift trucks. When that happens, they expect the company to begin evaluating forklift safety systems and implement it as soon as possible. The changes that the organization makes will help keep insurance costs manageable and keeps people at the company safe as well.

If the company needs to digital the OSHA compliance process, S2 is the safety system. If watching for pedestrians is the need, S3 Pedestrian Detection is the safety solution. For the ultimate safety system, the S3 Slow to a Safe Stop is the preferred choice.