Forklift Vision Safety Systems
Maintaining forklift safety throughout your fleet is an absolute necessity, especially when it comes to forklift vision safety systems. Issues with visibility are one of the top contributors to equipment accidents, which can lead to extensive injuries and even the risk of fatalities. Because of this, new and innovative forklift vision safety systems are available, allowing you to keep your workplace safer.
Keep in mind that in order to improve workplace safety, there needs to be a combination of safety systems and awareness. This is because there are many things that can contribute to vision-related forklift accidents, such as human error or blind spots.
In this article, we discuss vision systems you can utilize to improve the safety of your fleet during operations. We will also discuss how you can encourage awareness in the workplace and how ELOKON material handling equipment safety systems can help you improve workplace safety.
The Importance of Forklift Vision Systems
According to OSHA, one in six workplace fatalities involve forklifts, with 70% of forklift accidents being preventable. This alarming statistic shows just how dangerous forklifts can be and how often human error is linked to forklift accidents.
The causes of these types of accidents can often be connected to driver awareness and poor visibility. For example, drivers may not maintain awareness of pedestrians or other vehicles, which increases the risk of a collision. Drivers may also have blind spots, which prevents them from being able to see objects, vehicles, or pedestrians that are in their path.
Forklift accidents related to a lack of visibility can often lead to injured employees, potential fatalities, and costly damage. That is why you regularly need to evaluate your forklift cameras and vision systems to ensure you are maintaining the highest standards of safety.
Although we do not provide camera-based systems, ELOKON does provide advanced safety technology to improve driver visibility and overall awareness. Our safety solutions are also customizable, allowing you to approach the specific safety concerns you have for your fleet.
Encouraging Awareness in the Workplace
As important as forklift vision safety systems are, it is equally important to encourage awareness within the workplace. Forklift drivers specifically need to be alert when they are operating forklifts to reduce the risk of human error and negligence.
Here are some ways you can encourage more awareness within your fleet:
- Driver Training: Training your forklift operators is an absolute necessity for safe operation, especially when it comes to promoting awareness. You should also have refresher training courses to make sure drivers are not becoming too relaxed behind the wheel. Part of your training courses should focus specifically on how safety systems work and the dangers of blind spots.
- Culture of Safety: Because human error is such a huge component of forklift accidents, you need to create a culture of safety in the workplace. This will help employees hold one another accountable and prioritize safety.
- Performance Monitoring: Even with driver training, drivers may still become too relaxed and less aware when they are operating their forklifts. Regularly monitoring the performance of your drivers can keep them on their toes and help you spot any potential risks ahead of time.
- Open Communication: In many workplaces, your employees will notice safety risks before you do. Encourage open communication to help identify any potential visibility safety concerns.
Forklift Systems and Forklift Cameras For Better Visibility
Now that you know why vision systems are so important for forklift safety, what types of forklift systems and forklift cameras can you use for your fleet? If this is a question you are asking, you most likely want to update your fleet management system to reflect the advances in safety technology.
The good news is that there are more safety resources now than ever before, allowing you to operate your fleet in a safer and more efficient way. This will help you to better protect your employees as well as prevent costly mistakes like forklift accidents and collisions.
Here are some examples of the types of forklift systems you should consider adding to your fleet.
Proximity Detection Systems
When you manage a fleet, proximity detection systems are one of the main things you need to include for safety. These systems work by helping forklift operators detect anything that is near the forklift that could potentially lead to a collision. Not only is this necessary for reducing the risk of human error, but it also helps detect anything within the operator's blind spots.
At ELOKON, our ELOshield proximity detection system uses ultra wideband detection to warn operators of any nearby objects, vehicles, or pedestrians. It even goes so far as to warn nearby pedestrians with vibration, visual, and audible alerts.
ELOKON ELOshield also has two safety zones: Warning and Protection, which can be customized in size and shape according to your safety needs.
Automated Safety Systems
If you are worried about visibility within your forklift fleet, you should consider investing in automated safety systems that can help improve driver visibility. Automated systems help to automate many of the processes of operating a forklift, helping to reduce human error and promote better efficiency.
ELOKON ELOprotect automated safety system specifically helps to improve safety and visibility when forklifts are navigating very narrow aisles. ELOprotect uses advanced laser technology to reduce the risk of collisions, specifically with pedestrians. However, keep in mind that the ELOKON ELOprotect automated safety system is only designed for VNA lift trucks.