Forklift Classifications According to OSHA As with most things related to industrial safety, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a general categorization system for powered industrial trucks that the wider industry uses as a framework for equipment designations, training, and code enforcement....

Industrial Warehouse Dock Doors - A Threshold between Extremes In most supply chain facilities, dock and door systems are expected to operate around the clock keeping harsh weather out, hospitable environments in, and operators and goods safe. For this reason, dock system maintenance is a crucial necessity of any supply chain operation...

The Role of Forklift Operators in Material Handling Safety In the supply chain, forklifts serve as indispensable resources that come along with their fair share of risks. To combat these risks, forklift operators serve as the last line of defense, using their judgement and experience to navigate each day’s work in a safe manner. As it...

Viewing Material Handling Efficiency Through the Lens of Forklift Batteries Almost every time we chat with our customers about forklift fleet management, inevitably the discussion turns to efficiency. Interestingly, no two clients seem to have the same definition of efficiency - sometimes they focus on completion rates, mission times, order...

Forklift Maintenance as an Investment Strategy For most supply chain operations, warehouse effectiveness is directly tied to how productively their internal operations function. Accurate picks, timely order turnarounds, consistent order building, and streamlined interactions between handling steps all drive high operational efficiency, and in...

Industrial Rental Equipment in Seasonal Businesses The seasonality of different material handling, construction, and other industrial businesses may not always be obvious, but it certainly presents itself in more than one way. Many of these seasonal impacts result in widely varying operational peaks and valleys, driving significant...

Defining the Forklift and Its Origins In many ways, the roots of modern-day forklifts reach back thousands of years, spanning an interesting mix of countries and cultural influences. While a forklift today is widely known as an industrial vehicle that lifts and maneuvers heavy loads to varying elevations, its historical genesis lies in separate...

Your forklift is a critical part of your operation, but you know what else is extremely important, too? Your warehouse itself.  And sometimes, due to normal wear and tear or (let’s be honest) neglect and willful disregard, your forklift can be your facilities worst enemy. The good news here is there are steps you can take to protect...

Your forklift operator has conducted his (or her) pre-shift inspection, climbs on board the truck, turns the key… and is greeted by silence. This is trouble as your forklift is an integral part of your operation. Here’s how to perform an initial troubleshooting in the event your forklift just won’t start: Check your dash display.  Is...

Productivity and safety don’t have to be adversaries, though it sometimes takes some effort to make them work together. You may be tempted to allow a damaged or compromised forklift to remain on the floor, but the fact of the matter is, there are instances where even a slightly damaged must be taken out of service. OSHA makes sure of that...