Top 5 Best Practices for Reach Truck Safety

Reach trucks or also referred to as narrow aisle trucks are frequently found in warehouses with narrow aisles. They are a perfect solution for moving materials smoothly and efficiently in tight areas where the standard forklift has difficulty functioning. However, like all forklift trucks, reach trucks can be dangerous when operating in a way that is unsafe. What are some of the best practices for reach truck safety?

#1: Forklift Training

Facilities can have a variety of manufactured forklift brand trucks and many of the controls may vary, however, the hazards of operating a forklift truck remains the same. Reach trucks in particular, are a more dangerous truck to maneuver as the reach truck can lift materials four stories high. This takes a particular skill as precision and balance are critical so product and materials don’t fall off the forks.

#2: Digital Forklift Inspection Checklist

Reach truck safety begins with a forklift inspection checklist. Although there’s both paper-based checklists and digital forklift inspection checklists in the market today, using a digital forklift inspection checklist will give you insights, long-term and short-term, in order to help keep the reach truck safety working safely and efficiently in a proactive manner.

There are a few benefits a digital forklift inspection brings to reach truck safety. First, the forklift operator needs to scan or enter a PIN number before the operator begins. This practice of forklift access control will keep those safe who come up with the great idea of trying to drive a reach truck. Next, operations or maintenance managers can change, edit, add or delete inspection questions on the Dashboard so you are getting a true read on what safety metrics are for each forklift. Finally, use the Dashboard to get all sorts of graphical metrics so you can make decisions based on results. And…get a notification to all those who need to know if a forklift failed an inspection.

#3: Avoid Free Play on the Reach Truck

Many workers and employees would like to get the chance to operate a reach truck. After all it does look like fun. But reach truck safety is paramount and keeping unauthorized individuals from free play is vital. Forklift access control can help keep those untrained and unauthorized away. 

#4: Safety Gear

As you go through reach truck safety training, you’ll know what to wear that will protect you the most. One items to point out is safety goggles for the forklift operator. Remember, the operator will be looking up most of the time. Debris and dust will fall to the ground when moving materials off or on the racks. Dust and debris will go through your cage, so wearing goggles will ensure you have clear vision all of the time.

#5: Staying Alert!

As labor shortages wreak havoc in facilities, it’s critical for forklift operators to remain alert at all times to avoid a forklift accident. Be sure to check out SIERA.AI’s S3 Slow to a Safe Stop as it will help in critical situations. If the forklift driver doesn’t respond to audio and visual cues, the S3 Slow to a Safe Stop will override the driver, slow down and bring the forklift to a complete stop.

Now you have the top 5 best practices for reach truck safety. Contact us to learn more about the S3 Slow to a Safe Stop or the S2 Digital Inspection with Impact Monitoring.