Sharpeagle : Forklift safety checklist for warehouse

sharpeagle technologies
6 min readMar 25, 2022

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By: Moiz saeed

Effective management to ensure wellbeing and reduce injuries and fatalities is big business. Insurance claims are on the alarming rise. Particularly, with regards to large organizations like construction sites, parking lots, airports, and factories, ample research has produced powerful safety systems like Forklift safety systems.

Digital technology has a great role to play, and sophisticated software helps to catch a glimpse of sensitive areas. Ideally, 24-hour CCTVs would provide a total picture of what happened and what went wrong. Used as evidence in case of disputes, they are the best forklift safety system.

A forklift anti-collision system and forklift speed limiter provide additional safety. A hardware and software configuration proves beneficial in a whole lot of difficult situations.

Supreme benefits of camera and video monitoring systems

Not only are the national borders using monitoring systems, but almost every business finds it necessary to install cameras. Mining and agriculture, military and marine engineering, buses, and container ships all use them widely. It is a booming industry that manufactures a range of cameras and video systems that can cope with harsh conditions. Extremes of heat and cold, chemical processes, and rough terrain require specialized sturdy cameras.

Advanced software and hardware enable the camera system to work even in low light and complete darkness. Thermal imaging would be quite possible. Heat mapping, facial recognition, people counting, and the study of businesses in terms of customer flow permit a variety of improvements.

Despite research and development, costs are reducing in the face of competition. A range of equipment is nowadays available to suit a variety of budgets. After-sales support is rendered 24/7, and repairs are immediately attended to.

Prevention of accidents

The world is gradually moving towards electric vehicles that have several advantages as compared to the fossil fuels constantly diminishing on the earth. A warehouse is a busy place that may be working round the clock. Crisscrossing forklifts that carry large and heavy packages that contain machines, for instance, raise the dangers of collisions. Collisions with pedestrians, workers, and crashes with vehicles are ever-present dangers. No untoward event may happen on most working days but precautions need to be in place with an ever-vigilant eye.

Does a forklift anti-collision system work?

While handling heavy materials, you need a system that prevents crashes. The dangers are similar to the traffic on highways and commercial areas. Monitoring the area around the forklift for 30 ft or 50 ft, according to adjustable choices, should help. Just like the beeping cellphone, people or vehicles getting close raises an alarm. Whether visual or auditory and even a vibration, the forklift driver is notified of the danger. Slowing down, stopping, and avoiding the danger seems quite possible. The system also slows down or stops the forklift too, according to the program.

Setting the parameters would help to identify circles or triangles, the red danger areas. Warning and Danger levels would be specified.

The Forklift anti-collision system highlights

  • Safety of staff and materials
  • Greater confidence of workers
  • Protection for pedestrians amidst hazards
  • Ensuring elasticity of operations
  • Danger zones are marked

The advantages of the forklift speed limiter

Fitted in millions of forklifts worldwide, this is a highly useful device. ‘Speeding Kills’ is a relevant statement on the road as it is in the warehouse surroundings. The difference is that cars on the road do not carry loads but ply at high speeds that forklifts cannot afford to do with all the weight. The Forklift speed limiter does not affect the hydraulic lifting power of the forklift but keeps it under safe driving speed limits. Speeding with a huge load does appear to be unlikely, but it happens and results in accidents and collisions.

Regarding the safe travel speed under particular circumstances, the device could be programmed accordingly. With all the technological advancements, faults and errors will be quickly detected.

How the forklift speed limiter helps

  • Warehouses have greater control of forklifts
  • Driving standards improve
  • Raises assurance and awareness levels
  • Speed limits ensure a greater safety
  • Likelihood of damage and accidents reduce
  • Fuel and maintenance costs decrease

A comprehensive warehouse security system

In addition to the forklift safety system is the larger picture of the valuable warehouse stocks that come and go. Paid security may not be sufficient to deal with all the dangers that human error may miss. Along with the video surveillance and video intercom, intrusion alarm, you certainly need uniformed armed guards, too, especially in the sensitive areas that house the most valuable machines or goods.

Investments in devices are not very high with the cloud infrastructure doing the hosting. Scalable plans enable the different devices to be added gradually over some time. Check out the awesome features and decide to install, if such systems do not exist already.

Forklift safety dos and don’ts

Starting with the quality and regular maintenance of the forklift to the training and certification of drivers, it is a lot of doing! You need to organize and work hard, delegate duties and manage very dexterously like the oriental gods with many heads and hands.

High visibility vests and bright helmets, vivid lighting by night, like floodlights, are all required. Camera systems need to be placed almost everywhere so that everything that happens gets transferred to film that can be retrieved and examined closely. That is what the traffic police do on the streets. There is no rest in a warehouse that never sleeps, just like the city itself. Hotels and hospitals, airports, and railway stations are on eternally, and that makes it the greatest challenge.

Above all come the accurate data of loading and unloading of goods in case of disputes. Continual camera recording that has safely stored software that can be played as evidence takes away many mysteries and the possibilities of unethical practices. Large consignments of precious goods sometimes vanish without a trace.

Danger zones need to be carefully demarcated like walkways and pedestrian crossings. The danger is certainly greater by night. Crossing and walkway alerts can well be distinguished by flashing red lights just like in the streets. Similarly, speed control zones are specified with markings on the ground in squares or rectangles.

Reversing forklifts are particularly vulnerable to accidents since the vision of the rear is obstructed. Reversing cameras are the solution, but each forklift requires high-quality cameras fitted well in advance rather than after some bitter accident. With safety lights scattered generously inside and outside the warehouse in all directions by night and indoors by day, the dangers get drastically reduced.

Forklift safety devices never end!

With so much at stake in the form of forklift trucks, precious human life, and invaluable cargo coming and going all the time, keep adding them. A weight indicator shows the weight of the load, just to make sure that the danger of the forklift tipping does not arise with excess weight. A fork-leveling device makes sure that the forklift remains stable high up while staking goods close to the warehouse ceiling.

Along with a good dose of common sense, each of these safety devices needs to be installed separately. Though, companies would be glad to supply a package. The budget is certainly not wasted but becomes a wise investment for the safety of men and materials. Those warehouses that are yet to install such safety devices have access to the latest developments in the industry at gradually reducing costs. Give it serious thought early and discuss with the organization to reach an urgent consensus.

A forklift safety system along with a forklift anti-collision system and a forklift speed limiter deserve to be high on the agenda.

Source: https://www.sharpeagle.tv/blog/sharpeagle-forklift-safety-checklist-for-warehouse/

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sharpeagle technologies

SharpEagle is a leading manufacturer & system integrator of industrial Explosion Proof CCTV systems & Safety Lights, Forklift Safety solutions & Warning Lights.