Only choosing the right forklift for your business is not vital; using it safely is also crucial. It will mitigate the potential risks (injury or sometimes death) associated with forklifts. However, accidents can happen anytime and anywhere, but proactive steps for avoiding it can seriously do wonders.
Friends, it’s time to take responsibility. So, to help you promote good safety culture at your workplace, we’ve lined up six ways to avoid forklift-related accidents.
- Provide training to operators:
When hiring a forklift operator, it’s essential to look at their license and knowledge for operating the machine. A few studies have cleared the air and settled the facts that an untrained operator is at much risk of having an accident than a certified one.
When you make some changes in the workplace, a little trained or untrained person will not be able to manage the machine. Therefore, you must arrange a formative training program (once in a year) and new employee training for keeping everyone on the same page.
- Avoid overconfidence and warehouse shortcuts:
Once the driver receives enough training, they must work within rules and regulations at all times. Sometimes, they use shortcuts to speed up their day’s productivity, which can lead to disasters. They should maintain speed limits and not corner the machine too quickly to lessen the risk of accidents.
Generally speaking, operators should also speak up whenever they feel a forklift is overloaded. For that, you should promote proper communication between the machine operators and supervisors. After all, they are transporters, and they may have correct knowledge about loading.
- Keep your warehouse clean and organised:
The foundation of a safe warehouse is cleanliness and proper organization. If there is any obstruction on lanes, then it will force operators to make uncertain movements to avoid debris. It may lead to accidents, also hindering their efficiency. Therefore, it’s vital to clear the lanes; and free them from trash or other obstacles every time.
Moreover, you also should ensure that areas around your warehouse are well-lit. Lights for drivers and pedestrians are mandatory for safe operation, so keep checking them from time-to-time.
- Drive well-maintained forklifts:
Wear and tear in forklifts can lead to accidents, while proper maintenance can prevent the same. Therefore, you should arrange safety inspections of the machine before a driver begins the shift. It can include fuel and oil leaks, tire inflation, hydraulic hoses, engine belts, etc. For increased safety, equip your machine with anti-slip surfaces and grab-rails.
- Systemise traffic management:
When you operate forklifts and other such machines at the same space along with pedestrians’ traffic, collisions can occur. But with the correct traffic management on board, you can easily avoid such collisions. You can indeed separate paths for wayfarer and machine, and create no-go zones for these both, wherever needed. This undertaking will make the individuals aware of the risks in the workplace so that they can control it during its occurrence.
Also, display the site map clearly in the facility and use bollards wherever possible.
- Monitor and supervise regularly:
Promoting safety culture at the workplace is your duty. Along with the above precautionary steps, you should also conduct regular monitoring and supervision of the warehouse. Daily check of forklifts to know its functioning is the key to proper management.
Additionally, there must be an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for employees to follow if they come across any unsafe machine. Besides this, a supervisor should also monitor the overall warehouse environment.
Safety isn’t expensive; it is priceless…
Yes, certainly! Already, the world is suffering from the COVID-19 virus because of which many are losing their loved ones. Well, this is something that’s going to continue for some years, but there are other ways too to save priceless lives. Promoting safety culture at your workplace can at least cut some percentage of pain and suffering from the world.
Author Bio: Hi, I am Ariana Mortenson, a professional writer and blogger. I write on various niches in a way that it’s understandable and appealing to the people. I aim to achieve a difference through my writing which allows you to make informed and valuable choices.
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