Forklifts are extremely practical but inherently dangerous mobile plant equipment. The process of lifting, stacking and transferring loads can all lead to serious injury and even fatalities. For operators and safety managers there are a few key ways to raise awareness of the dangers and encourage safe behaviour around forklifts.
Before we dive into the action you can take to avoid incidents, let’s unload some of the causes. (Last forklift pun. We promise).
Forklift Dangers
Forklifts can be attributed to some of the leading causes of workplace injuries and deaths that involve vehicles. Forklifts are very mobile and depending on the size can weigh over 5 tonnes, including the load carried. It’s no surprise then that personnel being struck by a forklift or unstable load collapses are common causes of incidents. Even at low speeds (i.e 6km per hour), forklifts need at least 3m to come to a stop. This can still cause serious injury. These vehicles often operate in close proximity to pedestrians in workplaces, increasing the risk of harm.
Reducing The Risk
All personnel and visitors to a workplace are responsible for upholding a culture of safety. In saying this, there are a number of actions businesses can take to minimise the risk of collisions
It starts with implementing a…
Forklift Traffic Management Plan:
According to Work Safe Vic, traffic management plans (TMP) involve identifying hazards and implementing engineering controls to mitigate them. In a warehouse environment this may look like identifying the safest route for travel, avoiding operating forklifts near pedestrians and (if practically possible) using alternative load lifting devices that pose less risk.
Once a traffic management plan is in place, workplaces should engage in…
Education & Training:
Mandatory site inductions for visitors and new hires can reinforce your TMP. This is especially important for high traffic areas such as a loading dock. Ongoing training for safe operation of a forklift should also be carried out. This can include speed limits, safe loading and unloading.
We shouldn’t forget about the forklift itself. These machines need…
Regular Forklift Maintenance:
This might be an obvious one but forklifts cover a lot of hours. Engines and steering can fail, brakes or the hydraulic lift system will wear over time. Frequent servicing of these components reduces the likelihood of something catastrophic going wrong.
Outside of scheduled servicing, operators can conduct pre-start safety inspections. NSW SafeWork recommends completing one prior to the start of an operators shift, or the first time using that machine. The checks include inspecting the loading arms, alert warning systems and that attachments are mounted safely and correctly.
The only issue with the three action steps is that they leave room for human error. In the case that a traffic management plan is ignored or a training program forgotten, it increases the risk of a collision. For this reason, every forklift should be fitted with a…
Forklift Pedestrian Detection System:
In an ideal world, there would always be safe separation between humans and machines. However, some workplaces are complex and require personnel to operate in close proximity to forklifts. And mistakes happen. Pedestrian Detection Systems (PDS) are deployed to maintain a safe distance between forklifts and pedestrians at all times. Products such as Proxicam use artificial intelligence to distinguish humans in any position. The smart camera has been trained to recognise humans without requiring RFID wearables. Once detected in the pre-defined exclusion zone, an immediate visual or audible warning is sent to the operator.
A secure traffic management plan reinforced with training programs for regularly serviced forklifts can go a long way to reducing incidents. However, all these aspects require human intervention. And humans make errors. A Pedestrian Detection System can serve as a safety net, maintaining safe distances between humans and forklifts. 24/7.