What Are the Benefits of Implementing Forklift Safety Rules/Regulations/Requirements?
Forklift speed limits, regular forklift maintenance schedules, and safe forklift operation all contribute to the culture of safety throughout a work floor. However, the many different aspects of forklift safety can be difficult to manage with low visibility. How can teams adhere to speed limits, follow maintenance schedules, or know when forklifts are safe to operate? How can communication be streamlined for an optimized environment?
This is where forklift fleet management software comes in. The right forklift fleet management software can facilitate all these tasks and more in order to improve safety in the warehouse and manufacturing. This type of software can make completing daily warehouse checklists more efficient. The right software for your team can also help manage the health and maintenance of your fleet, allowing your team to improve safety.
Here, we’ll explore the importance of forklift fleet management software and completing forklift safety checklists. We’ll also offer ELOKON solutions that we’ve designed to address the most common pain points of warehouse safety along with providing solutions for managing forklift speed limits.
rklifts and forklift blind spots. But first, we’ll cover warehouse safety topics to start the conversation on what your leadership can do to improve safety.
The Importance of Daily Warehouse Checklists for Forklifts
Our experts at ELOKON know how critical material handling equipment safety is, and safety starts with completing daily checklists for forklifts. OSHA mandates that daily pre-operational checklists be completed, to ensure that each vehicle is ready for the job. Checking aspects like the tires, brake fluid, and hydraulics can catch any defect that could lead to a devastating accident. That’s why these daily checklists for forklifts are crucial- to preventing injuries and fatalities on the work floor. However, the checklist doesn’t stop there– drivers need to inspect the vehicles thoroughly to clear them for daily operation.
What Should Safety Checklists Include?
Think of a forklift– there are tons of parts that each need to be checked before driving it. Here are some areas that should be checked before operating it:
Battery/Gas– Is the forklift charged or does it have gas? Is the battery secure or is the gas cap closed?
Lights– Do all the lights work, like the dashboard and brake lights?
Horn– Does the horn work and can people hear it?
Cab and Structure– Does the cab and structure look secure? Are there any loose nuts or bolts that could cause a problem during operation?
Forks– Does the lifting mechanism work? Do the forks look stable? Does the lifting mechanism work?
As we said, there are many parts to check on a forklift to ensure that it’s safe for the work.
However, completing daily checklists shouldn’t be overwhelming for your team. Completing safety checklists should be comprehensive and extensive enough to clear the vehicle for operation, but simple enough so that they don’t impede workflows.
We saw the need for a powerful accessible and streamlined forklift fleet management system. That’s why, at ELOKON, we’ve developed the world’s first cloud-based forklift fleet management software. ELOfleet is our solution for forklift safety checklists, as well as other forklift management capabilities. Let’s now explore the features ELOfleet offers to material handling teams across the world.
Forklift Safety Checklists With ELOKON
ELOfleet simplifies forklift safety checklists in addition to other forklift fleet management tasks. For an optimized fleet, teams need a way to keep track of completed checklists and keep track of fleet status. Teams can use forklift fleet management software to monitor vehicles, manage maintenance schedules, track usage patterns, and oversee vehicle status. Here are just some features of ELOfleet in addition to facilitating forklift safety checklists:
- Ensure only authorized driver sign-on and operate the equipment
- Customize checklists questions and answersPrevent ‘finger-whipping’ the checklist
- Web-based KPI dashboard
- OEM-agnostic, multi-site fleet integration
- Record operating hours
However, ELOKON safety solutions don’t end with forklift management software. Our solutions extend to managing forklift speed limits within manufacturing and warehouses. Together, our portfolio of driver assistance systems facilitates material handling safety for your business.
Managing Your Forklift Speed Limit With ELOKON
Managing forklift speed limits is difficult, especially when there is no outright speed limit regulation. How can teams know if fast is too fast? How can operators react quickly to prevent collisions? Forklift operators can rely on one of our forklift speed limit solutions– ELOshield, ELOprotect, ELOprotect ACS, or ELOspeed– to maintain safe speeds when approaching pedestrians, objects, and other vehicles.
ELOshield
ELOshield can reduce vehicle speed when the system detects pedestrians (ELOshieldGO), other vehicles (ELOshieldDrive), gates and entrances (ELOshieldZONE), and certain areas (ELOshieldSPEED).
ELOprotect and ELOprotect ACS
Very narrow aisles (VNA) are necessary yet inherently dangerous aspects of warehouses. Causing low visibility, a driver on a raised cab might not be able to see objects, vehicles, or people below. We’ve designed ELOprotect and ELOprotect ACS specifically for VNAs so that forklifts can slow down or stop after sensing vehicles, objects, or pedestrians. Both are powerful solutions— ELOprotect ACS has an extended sensing range for larger work floors.
ELOspeed
Indoor/outdoor workspace transition areas present their own risks, primarily because forklifts can operate at top speeds outside. Yet, as a forklift comes back into the warehouse, the difference in brightness and low visibility could lead to collisions. We’ve built ELOspeed to automatically reduce the speed of vehicles as they pass under the warehouse roof to prevent forklift-related speed accidents.
Together, these solutions secure a workforce, improving safety and team confidence.