Pedestrian Alert Systems
Between blind spots, narrow aisles, and unforeseen safety hazards, the warehouse presents many dangers to pedestrian safety. Even when teams are fully trained and have the required safety measures in place, pedestrian safety can still be at risk in modern material handling spaces. That’s why companies around the world rely on pedestrian alert systems to close safety gaps that otherwise put pedestrian safety at risk.
Nowadays, modern warehouses don’t have to struggle with limited safety solutions. While signs, warning lights, and employee training are critical aspects of this kind of work environment, teams can always go the extra mile in investing in the safety and security of their employees. Here, we’ll explore pedestrian protection systems and discuss specific pedestrian warning systems and forklift pedestrian safety solutions available to safeguard material handling teams.
Even though warehouses are rife with hazards, your company can employ easy and effective tech to reduce them.
Pedestrian Protection Systems: Increasing Warehouse Visibility
Pedestrian protection systems increase warehouse visibility in a couple of significant ways. By applying UWB, smart laser, and radar technology, pedestrian alert systems can make the warehouse safer for pedestrian employees. This technology can:
- Eliminate forklift blindspots by sensing pedestrians through shelving, corners, etc.
- Provide proximity detection between equipped pedestrians and material-handling vehicles
- Automatically lower forklift speeds to prevent collisions
The right pedestrian protection systems are intuitive and integrate seamlessly into existing warehouse workflows, making material handling safer than ever by offering the advantages above. This tech can demonstrate your team’s dedication to improving safety, creating a more productive workplace, and potentially reducing the cost of insurance. From better collision avoidance to streamlined overhead costs, pedestrian protection systems improve warehouse operations in many different ways. Now, let’s explore specific examples of pedestrian alert systems, starting with ELOKON’s pedestrian warning system, ELOshieldGO.
ELOshieldGO: Pedestrian Warning System
At ELOKON, we’re continuously innovating on pedestrian safety, allowing us to create leading warehouse solutions. One of our technologies is the ELOshield line, which is a product line that offers different systems to prevent forklift-related accidents and collisions through proximity detection. ELOshield uses UWB technology to communicate between modules. ELOshieldGO is an iteration in the ELOshield line, one that we’ve specifically designed to detect pedestrians within proximity of a moving forklift.
ELOshieldGO
ELOshieldGO is our pedestrian warning system that offers proximity detection between equipped pedestrian employees and equipped forklifts. ELOshield has a configurable “warning” and “protection” zone around the forklift, and when a pedestrian enters one of these zones, the ELOshieldGO system can sound your choice of alarm on both pedestrian and vehicle modules. The system reaction can include audible, visual, and/or vibration alerts, as well as reduce vehicle speed. Like all ELOshield iterations, ELOshieldGO is an OEM-independent pedestrian protection system for forklifts, robots, AGVs, and other material-handling vehicles.
ELOshieldGO is an effective safety solution for alerting forklift drivers and pedestrians of a possible collision. However, ELOKON pedestrian alert systems don’t stop there. Next, we’ll discuss our other solutions that improve forklift pedestrian safety.
Forklift Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian employees are vulnerable throughout the warehouse, with collision risks posing a serious threat. However, your company can eliminate this risk with the right forklift pedestrian safety technology. ELOshieldZONE, ELOshieldSPEED, and ELOprotect are our forklift pedestrian safety solutions, each built to safeguard pedestrian employees in different areas of the warehouse. While modern warehouses are complex, we’ve designed ELOKON pedestrian alert systems to be effective yet straightforward by iterating on trusted technology.
ELOshieldZONE
ELOshieldZONE utilizes the same UWB that ELOshieldGO does but protects pedestrians in a different way. ELOshieldZONE is a fixed-position proximity detection system that protects designated areas around the warehouse. Ideal for gates, aisle entrances, and other high-traffic areas, ELOshieldZONE is placed above these warehouse points to communicate with the modules on material handling vehicles. If the module detects two vehicles approaching one another in the monitored zone, ELOshield will slow the trucks down and can send the driver an acoustic or visual alarm. ELOshieldZONE improves forklift pedestrian safety because it alleviates the burden on forklift drivers who are navigating these areas. This allows drivers and pedestrians to proceed safely, reducing the chances of a collision in the protected zone.
ELOshieldSPEED
Our other ELOshield forklift pedestrian safety system is ELOshieldSPEED, which also uses UWB. ELOshieldSPEED is designed for warehouse areas that experience high and mixed traffic. A warehouse floor shared by pedestrians, material-handling vehicles, AGVs, and other mobile robots is complex and certainly increases collision risk without proper safety measures in place. The ELOshieldSPEED module gets placed above the entrance of a particular area to define the danger zone. Equipped vehicles that pass through the zone are automatically slowed down, immediately creating a safer working environment. Automatic speed reduction increases forklift pedestrian safety within the designated area. Once a vehicle leaves the area, it can resume higher speeds.
ELOprotect
The last of our pedestrian alert systems is ELOprotect. ELOprotect is our VNA pedestrian safety system, designed specifically for very narrow aisles. VNAs cause limited visibility, especially for lift truck operators, putting pedestrian employees in the area at risk of collision. ELOprotect is an automatic pedestrian detection system that uses smart laser technology to scan both directions of the equipped vehicle. If a pedestrian blocks the laser scanner, ELOprotect can reduce the speed of the vehicle to a stop. When there is no longer a collision risk, the driver can press a button to acknowledge the hazard. Afterward, the vehicle can resume moving. While VNAs are important in the modern warehouse, your team can take the necessary steps to safeguard employees who work in these areas.
ELOKON pedestrian alert systems are durable solutions for improving pedestrian safety around the warehouse. Our commitment to safety innovations has allowed us to make material handling workplaces safer and more productive.
ELOKON: Improving Pedestrian Safety
At ELOKON, we’re dedicated to improving pedestrian safety in warehouses around the world. Trusted by more than 4,250 teams worldwide, ELOKON solutions are powerful and cost-effective answers to the most challenging obstacles in material handling. Contact us today to achieve comprehensive pedestrian safety for a more productive warehouse.