5 Ways to Help Prevent Forklift-Pedestrian Accidents
Safety for forklifts, walkies, AGV's and industrial traffic
Every company that operates forklifts struggles with pedestrian safety problems. The issues are well-documented; forklifts are often the most problematic safety machinery in any operation that utilizes them.Â
Forklift-pedestrian safety statistics
- Forklifts cause nearly 100 deaths, more than 34,900 serious injuries, and another 62,000 minor injuries  in the United States every year.
- A large percentage (42.5%) of these industries occur in manufacturing
- 11% of forklifts are involved in an accident every year.
- Forklifts cause just 1% of industrial accidents, but cause 10% of injuries
Forklift safety articles
Pedestrian Safety and Automotive Industry Guidelines
This article addresses the nature of industrial safety equipment and how it might (or might not) comply with industry guidelines. While there are many industry groups, some of which provide safety guidelines, one of the most common is the AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group). Their guidelines are specific to plant safety, and the interaction between pedestrians and forklifts or other in plant vehicles. If you are considering a solution that involves third-party equipment, this article may be helpful in terms of how your proposed solution integrates with AIGA standards.
Forklift safety: Why training isn’t enough
Most safety experts agree that safety training is mandatory for any forklift operation. But is it enough?
Given the fact that the worst forklift safety statistics haven’t truly improved for nearly a decade, you might be wise to not simply double down on training. Particularly these days, when new technologies like sensors are
According to OSHA, training is the key to forklift safety, and there is fundamental agreement on that. Training can and does make a serious dent in the high injury rates suffered due to industrial traffic. Training must happen, and it must be repeated.
This begs this question: Why has training failed to move the needle when it comes to serious forklift related injuries? The numbers seem to have stabilized at an average of 100 deaths per year, and have stayed consistently at that level for years.
OSHA’s comprehensive powered industrial truck resources
There are many types of powered industrial trucks. Each type presents different operating hazards. For example:
- Sit-down, counterbalanced high-lift rider trucks cause more load-drop accidents than motorized hand trucks to be involved in a falling load accident because they lift loads much higher.
- Workplace type and conditions are also factors in hazards commonly associated with powered industrial trucks. For example, retail establishments often face greater challenges than other worksites in maintaining pedestrian safety.
- Workers are also injured when (1) lift trucks are inadvertently driven off loading docks; (2) lifts fall between docks and an unsecured trailer; (3) Lift trucks strike them; or (4) they fall while on elevated pallets and tines.
Forklifts: the nature of the beast
Powered industrial trucks present special hazards not normally encountered outside the production facility, warehouse or distribution center. The functions these types of equipment perform are characteristically hazardous activities, let alone the fact that the equipment itself has inherent attributes that make it hazardous to operate. Since forklifts lack the braking and steering characteristics of automobiles, it’s important to understand what the limits are, and how drivers and plant personnel must behave around them.
Read more: A Step-by-Step Safety Process for Forklifts and Pedestrians
Seeing Around Corners in Warehouses and Manufacturing Facilities
In many facilities, one of the more dangerous areas is the humble corner, where lift trucks might collide either with each other or people. The potential for serious injuries and extensive equipment damage is significant. There are methods to help drivers and plant personnel negotiate the corner, blind intersection, or rack row, including systems that can “see” around corners rather than relying on motion detection.
Above: The ZoneSafe proximity detection system notifies drivers when pedestrians enter a pre-defined zone – even through walls or around corners.Â
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Tags: plant safety, forklift safety, forklift
Scott Stone is Cisco-Eagle's Vice President of Marketing with more than thirty years of experience in material handling, warehousing and industrial operations. His work is published in multiple industry journals an websites on a variety of warehousing topics. He writes about automation, warehousing, safety, manufacturing and other areas of concern for industrial operations and those who operate them.