National Forklift Safety Day Special: Top Tips for Segregating Forklifts and Pedestrians
This month we celebrate National Forklift Safety Day! Nearly 75% of forklift accidents that involve ‘impact with a third person’ involve pedestrians completing tasks unrelated to the immediate truck operation at the time of their accident.
Just as on roads traffic is separated from pedestrians, in warehouses pedestrians should be kept separate from machines, however, this is rarely the case.
Here are some ways you can keep pedestrians safe in your warehouse:
Use Clear Markings
Forklift driving routes and walkways should be clearly marked out, using painted lines, signage, or even physical barriers, particularly if it is a pedestrian area. This includes the marking of pedestrian crossings which encourage drivers to slow down and give pedestrians a safe route across.
Create Zones
Warehouses often have areas where people work intensively at the same time. Consider separating areas where people need to be focused on their tasks, rather than the traffic around them. A simple line on the floor is unlikely to be sufficient in such cases. A physical barrier, such as a gate, should be installed to shield people in these zones.
In addition to this, separate spaces should be assigned for lift truck parking and maintenance where possible, so that operators and engineers are not working around a truck and potentially in the path of other moving vehicles.
Keep Hand-Powered Trucks Separate From Drive-on Vehicles
Government figures confirm that anyone using a hand pallet truck runs a much greater risk of injury than previously thought. This extends to other hand-power machines, with over 4,500 injuries involving hand trucks, pallet trucks and similar handling aids, such as wheelbarrows and trolleys, reported on average, every year. By keeping hand-powered equipment separate from drive-on vehicles, the safety of your employees and machinery will be improved.
Train and Inform Your Staff
Even if an individual rarely has anything to do with forklift operation, it’s vital that everyone is informed of warehouse safety measures. Employees should be taken through any updated
training on keeping a safe distance between forklifts and pedestrians. This will allow forklift drivers to confidently perform their daily duties and pedestrians to interact with operators in the safest manner.
At Welfaux MH, we are experts in supplying materials handling equipment to customers across the UK from our distribution warehouse in Wokingham, Berkshire. We sell a range of new and used counterbalance trucks, and a variety of hand-powered trucks including order pickers, pallet trucks, reach trucks and stackers.
To discover our range, or gain advice on how to make your warehouse operations safer,
get in touch.
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