Forklift safety is vital in the modern warehouse. If you want to keep efficiency high and staff happy, making sure that forklift drivers know the rules is essential. Paying attention to the regulations also reduces the risk of breaking the law, too.
Accidents can harm your bottom line and damage your company's reputation - so keeping the best practice at the top of your mind is important.
Moving goods around inside your warehouse and storing them in a rational way is a major challenge - but the process of actually getting the goods inside in the first place is also filled with potential problems. High costs, queueing and inefficiency can all arise when you're not unloading optimally. That's why making the process as smooth and quick as possible can have a positive 'knock-on' effect on the rest of your operation.
No matter the quality of your forklift truck, after a few years of service in a busy and fast-moving warehouse, it’s not going to have quite the same performance as it did when it was brand new.
Productivity and efficiency in the warehouse can really suffer once a forklift becomes too unreliable, and the time will always come when you need to replace it.But hBut how do you know how long a forklift should last? And are there any alternatives to replacement? The diagram above should give a clear description of what your options are, and when you should consider them.
The range of warehouse storage options available today is extensive, and the best choice of storage system for different kinds of items can depend on a large number of different factors.
The ‘dead man’s switch’, or ‘dead man’s pedal’ is a standard safety feature on many forklifts, but it hasn’t seen much innovation over the years.
These switches appear on lots of different vehicles and machines, and are designed to stop the machine from operating if the driver isn’t in full control. In the case of a forklift, the dead man’s switch must be held down (usually with the foot) in order for the truck to operate. This makes sure that if the driver becomes incapacitated, isn’t in control of the truck, or even isn’t in it at all, it won’t be able to move.
It’s a smart and simple solution that has prevented countless accidents. But on trucks where the operator is standing, like some order pickers, it’s far from the perfect solution and can even introduce some new safety issues itself. Here’s why:
Cold store operations are one of the toughest material handling challenges.
Not only do the sub-zero temperatures affect your trucks’ battery capacity, electronics, lubrication, bodywork and drivers’ ability to operate the truck, the need for high storage density can reduce selectivity and throughput.
It’s possible to spend large amounts of time and money trying to reduce costs by making small changes around the warehouse - but when it comes to the total cost of owning your truck over its lifetime, the driver is often the biggest factor, and can sometimes make up 70% of the total cost.
That’s why it can be a good idea to focus on the driver if you’re trying to save money. Fortunately, there’s a range of optional features and add-ons for your forklift truck which can help make drivers more productive, more efficient, and safer when they’re on the job. And as we all know, warehouse ergonomics and forklift safety doesn’t just benefit your drivers - it boosts your bottom line, too.
Even when you’ve done your research, placed your order, and received delivery of your brand new forklift, your business with a supplier hasn’t ended. If you want your forklift to run smoothly and efficiently in future, and with maximum uptime, you’re going to need spare parts.
This is why you should consider renting forklift trucks.
Actually, in many cases it’s better for you to rent the trucks rather than to tie up capital. A flexible rental agreement tailored to your specific needs, gives you complete control of trucks cost and investment, regardless of how your business and requirements change.
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