Reduce Forklift Injuries with AI Based Forklift Safety System

Forklifts injuries continue to plague the material handling industry. According to OSHA, between 35,000 and 62,000 injuries occur each year involving forklifts. However, the number of forklift injuries has gone down as compared to historical numbers.

OSHA reported that back in 1995 there were 6.6 million work related injuries and illnesses. Due to safety measures that number went down to 5.7 million in 2000 and again to 3.7 million in 2010. Even though we continue to show progress since past years, there’s still much that needs to be done to reduce forklift injuries.

Traditional Means of Safety

Over the years, there has been a significant number of precautions taken to protect workers and forklift operators. Some of the common safety means include:

• Forklift operator training
• Forklift training for workers or those who frequent the facility
• Forklift safety checks (pre-shift or post-shift inspection)
• Regular maintenance on all lift trucks
• Protection around the docks so forklift don’t get too close to the edge
• Signage

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the areas most companies have in place. These are great safety precautions to avoid forklift injuries, but they are not making a further dent into the 35k. What can?

Forklift Inspections

A proactive way to avoid forklift injuries is to conduct forklift inspections. It can be pre-shift, post-shift, monthly, whatever is best for your environment. A forklift inspection allows the operator to check areas that may be ripe for an accident.

Now, we can all agree that forklift operators like to hurry the process and take short cuts whenever possible. First, get a forklift safety system that controls the outcome. This is done by ensuring the certified and authorized forklift operator gets on the right forklift, or it won’t start. Then the system brings up the right forklift checklist and ensures all answers are completed accurately with randomizing the questions in each section. Then if an answer fails the inspection, notifications are sent.

This process ensures that the forklift is in as best shape as possible and the data collected allows maintenance a more meaningful way to manage their maintenance schedule.

Collision Avoidance

The other aspect of what will reduce forklift injuries is a forklift safety system with collision avoidance, or pedestrian detection. This AI-based forklift safety system by SIERA.AI will alert the forklift driver when a pedestrian or object comes within a pre-defined distance. This allows the operator to stop, slow down or move from the area.

AutoSlow to a Safety Stop

Even the best technologies can’t stop a driver from making poor decisions. However, if the technology can override the driver, that can work. The SIERA.AI AutoSlow to a Safe Stop does exactly that. After a certain distance, if the forklift operator doesn’t take the proper action to stop, slow down or move, then the AutoSlow will override the driver and begin slowing down the forklift.

The new technologies in the forklift industry can help make a dent in that 35k number of forklift injuries. Take the proactive stance now and get the SIERA.AI forklift safety system with collision avoidance and AutoSlow to a Safe Stop.

Contact Us!

Contact us today at sales@siera.ai or call us at (512) 817 0702.