Integrating Forklift Safety Measures with Technology
According to the National Association of Manufacturers, manufacturing employes just about 13 million people and contributes $2.91 trillion dollars to the economy each year. So, when the largest manufacturing association in the United States talks, we need to listen. The president had a much longer speech, but this is worth quoting. “But we are facing monumental headwinds today, and sector optimism is at its lowest levels in years. The cost of business continues to increase. From health care to looming tax hikes, and aggressive agency overreach, the policies of today are keeping shovels out of the ground…” This just isn’t at a high level; this rolls down all the way to your mobile equipment on the shop floor. The question needs to be asked: Does integrating forklift safety measures with technology work?
There are about a dozen aspects to integrating forklift safety measures with technology. Let’s look at some of the top ones.
- Forklift operator certification: This does need to be carefully managed. You can be cited for having a certified operator on a forklift that the operator is not certified for. The one the operator is certified on, is the only one they are to drive.
Solution: The SIERA AI forklift safety system’s forklift access control ensures that the drivers are certified or the forklift doesn’t start. If they try to get on another forklift, it still won’t start. The system will also take a picture of who is attempting to get on the forklift. Now you have the proof necessary to take action.
- Regular Forklift Safety Inspection: An important aspect for maintenance to control is the health of the forklift. Is it running well, are there any problems that can be caught early enough, how can the life of the forklift be extended beyond the standard five years.
Solution: The SIERA AI forklift safety system digitizes the process, and most importantly, adds a randomization feature mixing up the questions per section. This keeps those on their toes so they read it and answer it as accurately as possible. All of the data collected goes into our telemetry Dashboard for easy management of the fleet.
- Pedestrian Awareness & Detection: The current use of reactive safety protectants such as blue lights, floor marketings, and horns cannot stop or prevent an accident from occurring. It just keeps bringing awareness to the forklift operator and the pedestrians. Which is great, but with integrating forklift safety measures with technology, safety professionals can now move to proactive safety.
Solutions: The SIERA AI forklift safety system S3 has both pedestrian detection and object detection using AI technology. It has learned and understands the difference between an object and a human and warns the operator as such both audio and visually with alarms. The intelligent cameras scan every 60ms searching within the defined distance, 10’, 20’ all the way up to 33’. You set the distance in the settings. When someone or something comes within that distance, the operator will know and can take the appropriate measures to ensure safety.
- Training and Education: Not just the driver, but the safety professionals too! Our forklift safety system collects date and goes into our telemetry Dashboard that can be used to focus in on what the forklift operator needs for tailored, focused training. Keep track of their impacts, near misses and more to ensure safety is maximized.
Be sure to check out our forklift safety system for integrating forklift safety measures with technology.
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Contact us today at sales@siera.ai or call us at (512) 817 0702.