Lift truck safety first
For managers, safety specialists, operators and suppliers, lift truck safety is a top priority.
By Jeff O'Neill, Associate Editor -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/2006
You typically handle pallet loads this size, but you don't always have to transport them from bulk storage to the loading dock all in one run. You take the proper precautions to lower the load from 30 feet without starting the trip and ensure that your seat belt is engaged—keeping you locked in, in case of a rollover. With the load lowered, you begin your trek across the 200,000 square foot distribution center. Emerging from the aisle you notice a pedestrian crossing your path looking at a clipboard. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize your six-plus tons is bearing down on him. You slam on the brakes…
SAFETY SPECIALIST:You have trained every associate on the floor who uses lift trucks. With certifications in hand, you are confident that the 200,000-square-foot facility in which you operate is safe and injury-free. Despite your apprehension that more product is being delivered to 30-foot racks than is necessary, you have trained the lift truck drivers in the methods required to keep things moving without injury. What you failed to realize is that while you were in deep thought, you have wandered into oncoming traffic—a lift truck carrying a large load is right in front of you. And while the operator slams on the brakes, you hope the load doesn't shift and that the brakes can handle the strain.
While the previous scenario is fictitious, it's not unbelievable. Fortunately for the safety specialist, that lift truck bearing down on him was equipped with a braking system that compensates for heavier loads, ensuring that the stop is always gradual, keeping the pallet's contents in place.
Fact is, lift truck safety today is a team effort. And it's a broad-based team. Safety specialists have a role. So do facility managers and supervisors. And needless to say, operators are critical to lift truck safety.
As these people and others will point out, safety is a stated goal not just a happy coincidence. Reaching that goal is the result of programs, training and a sharp focus. Just ask people such as Dixie Brock, safety specialist for APL Logistics.
She says the ideological shift to improved lift truck safety began when OSHA mandated seatbelts for all operators. "Before then, no one was wearing them," she says. Brock is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety protocols within the distribution operation at APL.
While OSHA mandates have been "crucial" in changing cavalier attitudes toward safety in the space, Brock says assessing operator behavior—and the behavior of all floor associates—is her most important priority.
"We established a program of communication with fork lift drivers that conveys the message of how dangerous lift trucks can be," she says. "We try to hold pedestrians accountable for safety, as well as the lift truck operators."
Equally concerned about lift truck safety is Greg Pallotti, vice president and senior consultant for Marsh Risk and Insurance Services. He says that operators should undergo rigorous training to ensure their understanding of safety. The following is a checklist Pallotti follows when implementing a training program for new operators.
1. Know the Operating Rules for Industrial Trucks—Conduct business in accordance with these rules and observe them at all times.2. Know the Basic Lift Truck Principles—These principles are: load center of gravity, tilting the mast, suspension and steering, stability triangle, load balance, ramps and inclines.
3. Know the Equipment—Review the specific safety aspects of the lift truck and understand the limits and maximum lifting capacity at the load center of gravity.
4. Review and Know the Fueling and Charging Procedures—Know the procedures for the type of lift truck being operated.
5. Inspect Your Equipment Daily—Conduct an inspection before shifts begin.
6. Sign an Acknowledgement Page—A sign off sheet must be completed after the operator has successfully completed a training program for that particular type of lift truck. That said, Pallotti points out that the factors affecting lift truck safety are not static. In fact, they are changing even now.
Consider the expanding use of lift truck-mounted computers and RFID readers. All need to be mounted on lift trucks. The challenge is determining where they should be placed without limiting operators' sight lines.
"Not positioning that equipment in front of the operator is a good start," he says. Floor initiativeBut safety shouldn't stop there, the risk assessors warn. Lift truck operators and those charged with management of the fleet need to take ownership of their safety as well as the safety of their co-workers.
At a Mercedes parts DC in Robbinsville, N.J., supervisor of regional master operations Lori Gonzalez ensures that her crew stays safe with the help of certain people. Of the lift truck operators, there are four "trainer" operators, who ensure safe processes throughout the facility.
"We monitor our hits per level for our racks—and top levels are only dead stock," Gonzalez says. "Nearly 90% of picks are done on the first two levels for easy and safe picking."
Dan O'Toole, a lift truck operator and member of the safety committee at the Mercedes DC, says safety protocols are never compromised. "We instruct team leaders to notice short cuts," he says. "We are very tight with people operating heavy equipment."
This safety philosophy is embraced elsewhere too. Mike Coronado, distribution director for The Container Store, says all incidents occurring on his watch or under the scrutinizing eye of other supervisors must undergo rigorous examination so they can learn from human or mechanized error. "We may have to recertify the individual to use the equipment," he says. "Also, we send the individual down for a drug screen following the issue—all accidents are reviewed at our monthly safety meetings."
And that's just fine with operators, according to Keith Dwyer, a lift truck operator in the replenishment and putaway department of The Container Store. Dwyer says that in addition to annual recertification on the equipment, operators take pride in building a community based on safe and appropriate operation. "Our main focus is that everybody does things right," he says. "We look out for each other to make sure we do everything needed to keep ourselves safe."
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Atlet offers an electronic monitoring system on many of its trucks. |
When a lift truck operator accelerates too quickly, drives too fast or makes sudden turns, there is an increased risk of tipping over. To compensate, Atlet (847-352-7373) offers the S3 electronic supporting and monitoring system on several of its trucks. The S3 system "thinks ahead" and can compensate by reducing speed and acceleration automatically. The system is constantly analyzing operating parameters such as steering angle, driving direction, load position and load weight. As a result, operators have a built-in backup safety system on the truck.
Ensuring lift truck stabilityOn many of its trucks, Toyota (800-226-0009) offers its System of Active Stability (SAS). The system features a series of sensors that ensure that all four wheels of a Toyota lift truck stay firmly planted on the floor-reducing the possibility of tipovers. It monitors key lift truck operations, sensing and correcting instability as it occurs.
Lateral tipovers are prevented with the Active Control Rear Stabilizer that locks the rear axle. The Active Mast Function Controller senses and controls mast angle and rear tilt speed.
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CAT offers a presence detection system. |
Keep operators in their seats
A Presence Detection System on Cat trucks (800-228-5438) knows when an operator is not in the seat, and disengages the transmission even if it is in gear. Hydraulics are also cut off. An audible alarm sounds if the parking brake is not set.
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Crown provides a choice of operating positions. |
A choice of multiple operating positions depending on the task and direction of travel is available from Crown (419-629-2311). Anti-fatigue floor mats reduce the effects of vibration and standing while enhancing operator stability and freedom of movement depending on the mode of operation.
Modern Materials Handling recorded a live Webcast on the show floor of NA 2006 with Hydrogenics on the latest in hydrogen-based lift trucks. Click here for more information and to view the event.
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