Blog | Page 11

Is it the end of the road for your forklift?

Nothing lasts forever, and there are definite signs to look for to determine if your forklift is nearing the end of the road.

After some years, all forklifts will start to have trouble. At a certain point, continuing to drive the same lift into the ground will stop making financial sense. It’s actually easy to tell when an aging forklift is ready to be sent upstate to play on the farm with the other forklifts.

If you have accurate and thorough maintenance and repair records for the unit you can estimate when its time has come.

What can social media do for your business? Your forklift?

It goes without saying that the internet has changed nearly every aspect of the way companies do business. From commerce, information and communication there is nearly no aspect of your business that hasn’t been affected by technology.

Function of your facility can be monitored remotely via the internet, and you can receive notifications, status reports and even troubleshoot and change settings when necessary.

But wait, there’s more. There’s an entire section of the internet that you may be writing off as a waste of time, but that can be a useful tool if used correctly.

Top 5 Critical Forklift Safety Rules

OSHA says a whopping 70% of forklift accidents could be prevented.

70%.

Google “top forklift accidents” and you’ll find an entertaining list of videos showing forklift operators doing stupid things and causing all kinds of problems. You’ll also find the occasional terrifying video where someone was seriously injured, even killed, in a forklift accident.

These videos tend to be entertaining only to someone who has never managed or worked in a warehouse or operated a forklift. For anyone who has, these videos (hopefully) hit a little too close to home.

Using Forklift Safety Around the Loading Dock

Loading docks are a critical point in the materials handling process, and they also have the potential to be dangerous and even life-threatening if proper safety procedures aren’t followed.

Like most safety measures, a good dose of common sense goes a long way.

There are no shortage of potential accident spots on a loading dock, and a procedure or two that will keep your forklift operator, your other employees, and your forklift perfectly safe at all times.

Maybe the most obvious, the edge of the dock. Forklifts can fall off an empty dock if the operator is unaware of the location of the lift. Having a spotter can help prevent accidents like this.

Roll-a-ways cause plenty of accidents as well. Make sure locking devices- chocks and emergency brakes- are put into use anytime the forklift is stopped and the driver steps away.