Forklift accidents are happening every day. These accidents bring major material losses to the company and also injure the workers badly. As per the industry experts, most of these accidents occur due to blind spots. The driver's visibility decreases greatly due to the blind spots, giving rise to fatal collisions.Are you wondering what are blind spots? These are areas blocked by certain equipment or loads, obstructing visibility. Unfortunately, even experienced operators driving for years fail to detect a blind spot at times. The situation becomes worse if there is poor lighting, bad weather conditions, and severe noise pollution. However, all of these risks can be avoided flawlessly if you know a few critical tips. Our experts have shared the preventive measures. Keep reading!
The road rules exist for a reason, which is your safety; hence, they must be followed. Most drivers don’t know the road rules properly, and that is why they mess up while driving. But we would recommend you focus on learning these regulations first. The pedestrians, too, might know these rules, but they usually forget them while walking. But being the forklift driver, it is your responsibility to ensure the proper safety of the pedestrians. Therefore, learn the rules line by line. Also, never take your eyes off the road, and do not assume that everyone around you knows the rules.
Keeping your eyes on every nook and corner of the surrounding is next to impossible. Therefore, ask someone to accompany you. The spotter can help you with the directions or let you know about any obstacles on the road. They can also see if there is any pedestrian near the pathway and warn the driver. If they are loud enough, they can warn the employees and ask them to move away from the path. A spotter is a must if you want to drive safely in between the pedestrians.
Whenever driving a forklift, do not rush. Keep the speed low to mediocre so that nobody is hurt. The best forklift safety solution to help you with this is a speed limiter. A high-quality speed limiter will send you warning signals whenever you cross the speed limit. When your speed is within control, you will have enough reaction time in case of any possibility of a collision. Installing a speed limiter is the best option, but even if you cannot afford the safety device, please drive slowly!
Ensure that the concave mirrors of the forklift are installed properly. Many drivers think that they can manage even without mirrors, but that is not recommended. Accidents double up when there are no mirrors installed. The side mirrors can help you see a blind spot easily without much struggle.
Mirrors and spotters work well but not that great as compared to a forklift safety camera system. This is the ultimate solution to most of the problems a driver's faces while operating a forklift. The camera system is installed inside the machine in front of the operator's eyes. The driver doesn't need to move his neck to view his surroundings because the fork-view camera covers the entire area perfectly. Plus, everything is recorded in a memory slot. Hence, even if an accident occurs, the video footage can be obtained for evidence. But the chances of an accident are rare when you use this robust device!
A zone safe proximity alarm will give you warning signals whenever there is any obstacle on the path. It also helps the driver to drive within the assigned pathway. Most heavy industries use this device to keep pedestrians safe while at work.
Yes, most surely they do! Forklift safety solutions are the best ways of preventing any forklift-related accidents and damages. If you can afford them, do not think twice and go for the SharpEagle forklift safety solutions. Warehouses, construction industries, oil and fuel refineries, and many other workplaces have already installed our safety solutions. We are honored because our clients love our products due to their ease of use, durability, and features. If you are worried about the installation, relax because our technicians will get it done.
Most of our tips above, too, involve safety solutions as the top recommendations. Therefore, installing them now will be the ultimate decision you can take to safeguard the pedestrians working in your industry. In addition, the quality of our products will undoubtedly impress you because SharpEagle uses the finest materials and machines to manufacture them!
We hope that we helped you learn about the best solutions for keeping pedestrians safe from forklift accidents. Besides keeping the workers safe, our safety solutions can also help you reduce material damage greatly. Hence, it is highly recommended that you take the step without any further delay. Even if you are not able to afford the solutions now, go for them in the future. In the meantime, make sure that your drivers follow the rest of the tips shared in the article. Train them well so that they know all the road rules and other safety precautions before getting to work.
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