Here Comes OSHA. Another Forklift Truck Accident

Another forklift truck accident. It’s true. Just two days ago, a 61-year-old man in Pennsylvania was involved in a forklift truck accident. He passed away from blunt force injuries caused from the worker being caught between two forklift trucks. It happened at the Home Depot Distribution Center.

Forklift Truck Accident

We continue to report on forklift truck accidents as a reminder that it can be avoided. With the technologies that exist from SIERA.AI’s S2 and S3 safety systems, these forklift truck accidents can become a thing of the past. However, it goes without saying that the statistics are still present.

OSHA reports that there are 61,800 non-serious accidents per year, 34,900 resulting in a serious injury and 85 fatalities per year. With all of the reporting we’ve been doing on fatalities, facilities are well on their way to meet and surpass the 85. Let’s take a look at some preventative measures.

#1 Digitize the Forklift Checklist

If you want to prevent a forklift truck accident, know as much as you can about the forklift fleet. Each forklift has its own lifecycle. Even if you purchased the fleet all together, it doesn’t mean they will have the same issues. Will a fleet of cars?

The OSHA checklist can be digitized (which we provide automatically) and that’s a great place to start. However, many times there’s additional information you’d like to capture. Since its digital, go to the Telematics Dashboard and add it. Now you can start tracking and gauging the health of the forklifts.

#2 A Graphical Telematics Dashboard

The SIERA.AI Telematics Dashboard captures all of the information that’s being answered electronically. This allows you to view the collective answers and make decisions regarding ongoing maintenance and repairs in order to keep downtime minimal or non-existent.
The Dashboard allows you to track near misses and impacts. By tracking near misses, you’ll get the insights into how problem areas build. By capturing these near miss locations early, you can circumvent the outcome and make it safe before problems arise.

#3 Exercise Common Sense

Many workers get caught up in their job. They want to keep things moving especially if something gets stuck. It is always best to call maintenance for help so the workers don’t do the top 3 following:

1. Stick their head out from the cabin during operation
2. Get off of the forklift while it’s still running
3. Don’t stand under a load

We’ve supplied articles on two of the three listed. It’s a key indicator that a forklift truck accident is a high probability.

What’s Next to Solve the Forklift Truck Accident Issue?

Digitize the Forklift Checklist with the S2 Digital Checklist with Impact Monitoring. This is the best way to capture the information you want. It bears repeating… you want your forklift drivers to answer all the questions honestly and completely. This is done by changing the order of the questions…AND the answers. The SIERA.AI S2 safety system can do just that by turning on the random option. The integrity of the answers can mean that maintenance is on top of the health of the forklift fleet, trends can be easily identified and accidents are kept to a minimum.

You can view the S2 two ways. One is to attend MODEX March 28-31 in Atlanta, GA or we’ll give you a personal demo of the safety solution. Contact us today at sales@siera.ai. Thanks!