4 Ways Forklift Accidents Can Be Prevented

Every day is a new challenge. It seems that the manufacturing facility, warehouse and distribution center never has the same day twice. That’s because material handling equipment such as forklifts are constantly on the go. With numerous variables in the warehouse such as pedestrians and forklifts, there a good chance a forklift accident can happen. How can forklift accidents be minimized?

Let’s go through 4 top ways forklift accidents can be reduced.

#1: Forklift Access Control

Situation:
A non-warehouse worker needs to get a product out to a customer…yesterday. The worker calls the warehouse manager. Not answering. The worker goes into the warehouse to ask how a product can go out immediately. Nobody’s around. However, there’s a forklift at the charging station.

Solution:
Forklift access control stops unauthorized people from accessing a forklift. The authorized operator needs to scan in their badge and complete the digital forklift inspection. If the forklift inspection is ignored and tries to take off on the forklift, the system records the incident and the forklift will automatically disable after a short period of time.

#2: Proximity Forklift Sensors: Turning Corners

Situation:
Orders need to be fulfilled; product needs to be put away. The manager asks, “Why isn’t it done yet?” The forklift operator tries to pick up the pace. The driver speeds down the aisles and turns the corners at a higher rate of speed. 
Turning corners too tight can quickly lead to a forklift accident. The forklift can tip over, crash into the racking system, or even drop product onto a nearby pedestrian.

Solution:
We all need a little help when pressure hits. Proximity monitoring on a forklift is a smart device that warns the operator when the forklift is in close proximity to a racking system, pedestrian, other equipment, and product to name a few. The proximity sensor constantly scans in 4 directions. If it detects a problem, the driver gets a visual and audio alert.

#3: Forklift Pedestrian Detection: Partial or Full

Situation:
Workers many times work side-by-side with forklift drivers. They are bending, stooping, reaching or simply standing in order to do their job. The biggest challenge? The worker is partially blocked by a stack of boxes and nobody knows that person is there.

Solution:
Forklift Pedestrian detection is an electronic device or a sensor(s) that detects a pedestrian within the pre-defined distance set by you. The sensor(s) constantly scan every 60 ms, searching for a pedestrian that is in plain sight, or partially blocked by an object. When the pedestrian detection system is activated, an audio and visual warning gives the forklift operator ample time to take preventative action.

#4: Electronic Forklift Inspection: Mechanical Breakdown

Situation:
The forklift is fine. No reason to inspect the forklift every day. There were no problems when it was used yesterday, it ran fine, didn’t hit anything because there aren’t any dents or scratches.

Solution:
Any machine, mechanical device and even a forklift can break down at any time. There are many areas to consider that the checklist helps to ensure that crucial aspects are checked. However, to keep ahead of any maintenance issues, it’s critical to answer the forklift inspection questions electronically so all the answers can be captured online. This way, it’ll be easier and faster to detect problems before they happen saving on cost and time.

The Ultimate Forklift Safety Solution

Now that you’ve nodded your head in agreement for these top 4 ways accidents can be prevented, it’s time to check out SIERA.AI. We’re all about safety and safety on forklifts. Give us a call or an email to find out more about our S2 Digital Checklist with Impact Monitoring or the S3 Pedestrian Detection and learn how these safety solutions by SIERA.AI can help you achieve zero accidents.