3 Top Problems Faced in Forklift Safety
The intralogistics sector faces obstacles every day, like backlogs, increased demand, and lost productivity. On top of these challenges, companies can also experience obstacles in forklift safety. Barriers or lapses in forklift safety can add additional downtime and lost revenue, and even result in employee injury and death. That's why warehouses need to avoid forklift-related accidents in order to keep business going. But even when a company trains and certifies its forklift drivers and follows legal safety codes, it can still experience forklift-related collisions. So, how can warehouses avoid such accidents?
We'll explore some of our forklift safety solutions available from ELOKON, but first, we'll review 3 top material handling hazards and why they result in forklift collisions. At ELOKON, we've created a comprehensive set of safety and assistance systems to prepare against top material handling hazards.
3 Top Material Handling Hazards
The intralogistics sector has its fair share of workplace hazards. Heavy equipment and physically demanding workflows are just two of the industry’s biggest dangers when not managed properly. However, 3 top material handling hazards: a mismanaged forklift fleet, busy work floors, and unavoidable hazards.
1. Mismanaged Forklift Fleet
A mismanaged forklift fleet put forklift safety and warehouse operations at risk. Missed maintenance, unauthorized driver use, and unaccounted downtime can cause a whole range of problems for the warehouse, including collisions. Managing a fleet is no easy task, but there are solutions available to assist teams in doing so. ELOfleet by ELOKON is the world’s first app-centric smart fleet management system that can do all of this and more. ELOfleet streamlines fleet management with an intuitive design so make fleet management second nature.
2. Busy Work Floors
Another one of our top material hazards is busy workfloors. Warehouses always have a flurry of activity, and sometimes forklifts and pedestrian employees don’t stay on their indicated routes, resulting in accidents. Busy work floors are inherent to any intralogistics workspace, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution available to keep your team safe.
3. Unavoidable Hazards
How can companies prevent forklift-related accidents caused by something unforeseeable? Blind spots, objects falling onto routes, or an increase in activity can all become unavoidable hazards leading to collisions. Planning for unforeseeable dangers is difficult, but ELOKON offers safety systems that can prevent accidents. Our warning and protection zones' wireless design allows our solutions to detect possible collisions before they happen. We’ll go more in-depth about our ELOshield, ELOfleet, and ELOprotect solutions a little later on.
These 3 top material handling hazards threaten forklift safety and operations. However, we have the technology to prevent employee injury and damage to company equipment. Let’s take a look at how ELOfleet secures forklift controls for a safer warehouse.
Forklift Controls and Safer Operation With ELOfleet
Forklift safety starts with well-managed forklift controls. Authorized driver access, following maintenance schedules, and recording impacts are all important forklift controls to maintain a strong fleet.
ELOfleet facilitates these operations through our app-based design. ELOfleet can also manage your pre-ops checklists where you can specify the questions, question type, and content. We’ve designed ELOfleet with the needs of forklift controls in mind.
In addition to our operator app, we offer a web-based dashboard for your fleet’s KPIs. Data like impacts, required maintenance, and operation time are visible on the dashboard, so your team can increase forklift safety in your warehouse.
ELOKON offers other safety systems besides fleet management. Driving a forklift is easier than ever with our ELOshield, ELOprotect, and ELOspeed systems because drivers can be confident in their safety.
Driving a Forklift With ELOshield, ELOprotect, and ELOspeed
Driving a forklift is easier with ELOKON solutions. With our intelligent safety systems installed, forklift operators can have peace of mind while driving, instead of worrying about blind spots, high-traffic areas, and working around pedestrians, other vehicles, and objects. Our forklift safety solutions help prevent forklift-related accidents through proximity detection and include ELOshield, ELOprotect, and ELOspeed. Each system has features that protect different facets of a busy warehouse.
ELOshield
ELOshield is ELOKON’s proximity detection system and gives employees who are driving a forklift reassurance. This line of safety systems includes ELOshieldGO, for preventing pedestrian-forklift collisions, ELOshieldDRIVE, for mitigating forklift-forklift accidents, ELOshield ZONE, for specific zoning safety. Each iteration of ELOshield simplifies driving a forklift by alerting the driver and slowing the vehicle if it detects a pedestrian, forklift, or zone that also has the system equipped.
ELOprotect and ELOprotect ACS
Very narrow aisles (VNAs) are hazardous areas in the warehouse. Although they streamline storage, these narrow spaces can make it difficult to avoid collisions. ELOprotect and ELOprotect ACS prevent collisions in VNAs using intelligent laser technology to detect pedestrians, vehicles, and other objects. Upon detecting something within proximity, the module can slow or stop the vehicle to prevent an accident. ELOprotect and ELOprotect ACS are both proximity detection systems, though ELOprotect ACS offers a broader protection zone that is better suited for larger VNA areas.
ELOspeed
Driving a forklift between indoor and outdoor spaces can also be hazardous, especially because operators are transitioning from high speeds to low. Installed on the roof of the forklift, ELOspeed senses overhead structures like warehouse roofs and can slow down a forklift as it enters the warehouse. ELOspeed is ELOKON’s radar-based driver-assistance system for indoor/outdoor speed control with a configurable range to make busy areas safer.
Adapt to Safety Challenges With ELOKON
At ELOKON, we address top problems in forklift safety with an integrative approach. We've designed our portfolio of safety and assistance systems to mitigate forklift-related accidents in the warehouse, keeping intralogistics staff safe. The warehouse is a complex work setting, with many moving parts and hazards that can endanger pedestrian employees and forklift operators. Installing any of our ELOKON solutions immediately improves the safety of your warehouse or other intralogistics setting, demonstrating that your company is committed to enhanced workplace safety. Contact our team today to learn which of our solutions can safeguard your workforce.