Forklifts helped improve and facilitate handling tasks. Yet a recent collection of accident statistics indicates that the risks associated with forklift trucks are also very high and that they are the cause of many workplace accidents in several countries.
What behavioural and operational factors can contribute to forklift trucks accidents?
- Travelling at excessive speed.
- Riding with the load elevated.
- Improper backing up techniques.
- Improper turning, braking or accelerating.
- Improper warnings to others about a forklift in use nearby.
- Poor communication during shared tasks, or in shared spaces.
- Riding or giving rides on forklift or load.
- Parking the forklift improperly.
- Improper blocking of wheels on semi-trailers or railway cars.
- Horseplay; stunt driving; jerky, erratic driving.
- Inadequate servicing of the forklift.
What factors of work organization can contribute to forklift trucks accidents?
- Lack of training or improper training of workers who have to operate forklift trucks.
- Production factors such as speed or stress.
- Lack of proper tools, attachments and accessories.
- Improper assignment of forklifts and operators.
- Poor maintenance of forklifts.
- Age of forklifts.
How can workplace design contribute to forklift trucks accidents?
- Narrow aisles.
- Crowded, cluttered aisles.
- Obstructions at intersections and doors.
- Volume of traffic in work area.
- Other workplace conditions such as noise, odours, toxic gases, dust, or poor lighting.
- Many ramps with different surfaces.
- différences de revêtement des rampes d'accès;
- Condition of loading dock.
Source: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/forklift/accident.htmll
How to avoid or at least limit accidents which implicates pedestrians?
- Separating the forklift zone from the pedestrian zone by making separate aisles one for pedestrians and one for forklifts.
- Denying access in the forklift zone.
- In any possible mesure, pedestrians must keep a secure distance from the forklift. It is important to make visual contact with the forklift driver thus assuring the driver is aware of your presence in the work zone.
- Assure that the work zone is well lit and there are no obstacles that may reduce the driver’s visibility.
- Exercise caution around and near blind spots, near entrances and narrow aisles. The driver must apply the horn of the forklift when approaching crossroads.
- Wear visible clothing where it’s required.
- Set speed limits for forklifts.
- Do not walk near forklifts which the forks are lifted neither walk underneath the forks.
- Take caution not to obstruct the vision of the forklift driver who is transporting a load.
- Avoid operating a forklift where there is an elevated pedestrian zone.
Limit areas of restricted vision
To prevent collisions, a pedestrian detection is necessary. Many types of cameras are recommended in this situation. Simple cameras, radars, ultrasounds or morphological recognition etc. Fo exemple, a pedestrian detection system using a morphological recognition system.
Blue : Field of vision (control screen)
Orange : Danger zone (As soon as a pedestrian enters this area, the driver is warned by an alarm)
Attention, these security systems are tools to assist the vigilance of the driver. The simple fact of installing a system would not eliminate all accidents but would certainly help to diminish some of them. Whatever position we are whether a driver or pedestrian being vigilant is important.
Maximize your vision and security on the work site by installing an industrial camera:
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Backup camera
NBS is a backup camera system improving safety around industrial vehicles. It supplies a precise vision of the environment to the driver.
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Pedestrian detection for industrial vehicle
Blaxtair® is an intelligent on-board camera which helps to prevent collisions between construction machinery and pedestrians. Combined with good practice and organizational safety measures, it is the only efficient and reliable answer to meet the safety demands of the construction, road work and mining sectors.
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