Monitoring and Reducing Forklift Impacts
Although most forklift impacts are minor, some can cause real damage. By tracking forklift impacts in real time you can improve operator accountability while making your facility a safer place to work.
For most warehouse operators, forklift impacts are near the top of the list when it comes to overall safety concerns. When multi-ton machines collide with racking, products or other forklifts or equipment, the results can be catastrophic.
Quite often, however, forklift impacts are not dramatic. They are minor low speed collisions that often go unreported because they appear to the operator to be completely benign.
While most minor forklift impacts are harmless, some aren’t. Each needs to be cataloged and evaluated. A forklift can easily compromise racking integrity even if damage appears to be minimal. Likewise, a slight bump to a conveyor bed can put an entire system out of alignment and appear to do no damage at all.
By implementing an impact detection system, you can track every collision in your warehouse, including the exact location, time, speed, and operator. These systems offer unprecedented visibility and measurement to improve your operations, but they also give you peace of mind knowing that you can proactively handle any impacts the moment they occur.
Raymond’s iWAREHOUSE system offers realtime impact monitoring and evaluation and includes a full feature set:
- Detects impacts instantly
- Delivers automated, real-time alerts via email and/or text message
- Classifies impacts according to severity
- Records and reports data such as speed, acceleration, and G-force of impact
When the system detects an impact it gives it a score and takes one of two actions:
- Low scoring impacts are simply recorded and reported
- Moderate and high scoring impacts send an audible alert to the supervisor and will limit speed on Raymond trucks.Trucks must be reset by a supervisor to continue normal operation.
This system offers a number of benefits, including:
- Forklift operators that know they’re being monitored are more careful. You will likely see lower costs related to truck repairs, damaged inventory, and racking.
- Operators become accountable when management has greater visibility, and incentive programs can be introduced to reward employees for their safety records.
- Collision hot spots can be identified, allowing you to improve your layout and create a safer environment.
- Training issues can be quickly identified and dealt with.
To learn more about impact detection systems, get in touch with a Raymond West expert today!
