Companies want lift truck operators and those who work alongside them to stay safe. While productivity and performance may top the list of things customers ask for from their lift truck suppliers, if safety and ergonomics aren't part of the package, return on investment (ROI) will go out the window with the first injury. Safety and ergonomics directly and indirectly affect productivity and performance.

Most of the respondents to Modern's recent Lift Truck Customer Satisfaction Study recognize that. In fact, most consider safety more important than productivity and performance. While 87% of respondents said that “productivity” was extremely important or very important, 91% said “safety features” were extremely important or very important, and 66% said the same about “ergonomics.”

One of the most serious safety concerns related to lift trucks is “mouse-trapping.” That's when a lift truck tips over and the operator falls outside the cab and is crushed by the overhead guard. To help protect against that, one supplier installed a “wing seat.”

“With a wing against the operator's torso, if there is a tip-over, the operator won't get popped out of the seat,” says Clark Simpson, sales engineer for Clark Material Handling. “We have received testimonials on how this has prevented injuries.”

Simpson adds that a seatbelt is the ultimate answer to keeping operators in their trucks. To this end, suppliers like Clark offer optional orange-colored seatbelts so that managers, supervisors, and others can see from a distance whether an operator is hooked up. “We also have optional interlock seatbelts, so if the operator is not buckled in, the truck won't go into gear,” he adds.

Other safety features: If the operator is out of the seat for more than 2 seconds, the transmission automatically shifts into neutral. A related problem is lift truck wheels running over feet or rolling into pedestrians as they come to a stop, because they roll so easily. “On our trucks, if an operator gets off a truck without setting the parking brake, the truck will blow a horn,” says Simpson.

Most leading suppliers employ engineers who analyze the subtleties of operator comfort, productivity, visibility and control. They identify the best ideas for safety and ergonomic improvements with customer focus groups and other customer feedback. For example, Hyster customers visit the supplier's proving grounds to test new equipment.

“Everything that operators need to reach and grasp is precisely where they expect them,” says Van Clarkson, director of Hyster's fleet management group. “Operator compartments are so intuitive that drivers can execute functions without taking their eyes off the aisle ahead of them, which may contribute to enhanced operator safety.”

Safety and ergonomics often blend. For example, Raymond's reach-fork trucks feature universal or bidirectional stances for operators, allowing them to face the direction of travel and work. This not only improves safety through better visibility, but also improves ergonomics by eliminating the need for operators to constantly twist their torsos and/or necks to see where they are heading.

“Ergonomists say we get 80% of our information visually each day, and storing and retrieving pallets involves a lot of visual information,” explains John Colborn, marketing manager for Raymond. A “universal stance” feature provides 360 degree visibility, which allows operators to always be facing forward in the direction of travel.

Raymond also uses customer focus groups, industry events, and visits to customers to gather information on desirable new features. But there are limitations.

“The biggest request we get from operators is CD players,” says Colborn. “We don't blame them for asking, because they can work some long shifts, but we are definitely not going to put CD players on our trucks.”