How to Reduce Forklift Accidents
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that there are 34,900 serious injuries per year in the United States from forklift accidents. This includes 85 fatal accidents.
42.5% of these fatalities happen in the manufacturing industry. In other words, 11% of all forklifts will be involved in some type of accident each year. Let us help you reduce forklift accidents.
Many work-related factors contribute to accidents with forklift trucks:
- Lack of training
- Poor maintenance
- Blocked vision
- Improper reversing
- Incorrect Speed
- Poorly stacked loads
- Improper communication
- Poor workplace design.
Upgrade workplace design to improve safety and reduce forklift accidents
Restrict forklifts to their designated work areas. These are areas with vertical storage or for shipping purposes. Subsequently, this should contribute to the reduction of accidents involving forklifts.
Most companies have limited workspace which increases the risk of accidents. Traffic jams occur when forklifts handle and transport input, work in progress, or output to work cells. To reduce the risk of accidents, process engineers need to consider handling the material differently.
For instance, handle light materials (less than 2000 lbs) with jiggers, conveyors, pushcarts, tugger carts or redesign the floor layout and redefine processes.
Poor workplace design can include narrow, crowded and cluttered aisles. Also, work stations located in the general area of forklift operations or forklift traffic going through work areas. Creating designated walkways to separate pedestrians and forklifts is a necessity in the industry!
Improved safety is not the only benefit of reduced forklift use
Maintenance, congestion, flexibility, and productivity also benefit from improved workplace design.
Instead of carrying one load of finished products at a time with a forklift from a work area to a storage area, tugger carts could carry multiple loads of finished products. Tugger operators always have a clear view because the loading is done in the back. Improve productivity by including empty carts in the load that can be left in the work areas afterward.
Get more ideas at The 5S Store or contact one of our experts to help keep your business from becoming a dangerous statistic.