Tag: forklift injuries

Lidar Technology Being Used to Improve the Safety of Warehouse Robots

New Technology Arrives in Warehouses
New Technology Arrives in Warehouses

Robots are the ultimate material handling equipment, but their application in the warehouse environment is still limited. While robotic workers are being developed to handle increasingly sophisticated tasks, they lack the ability to sense and react to their surroundings.

This obstacle may be overcome soon, thanks to a Massachusetts tech company. A system known as lidar could be the solution for safer warehouse robots.

Solving the Problem of Robotic Safety

Lidar is a high-tech method used to detect nearby objects, much like radar, but it uses laser light rather than radio waves. While lidar has a a number of applications, it’s gained attention recently as a navigational system for self-driving vehicles.

Massachusetts-based Veo Robotics came up with the idea to use a similar system with industrial robots. Veo’s proprietary lidar program generates real-time 3D maps of warehouses and factory workspaces. The data is used to stop robots if humans are approaching or the robots can’t sense what’s going on around them.

Lidar Hits the Industrial Market

In late 2017, Veo raised $12 million in capital from venture investment firms to finance their project. Kuka is one of several robotics companies allowing Veo to test their technology on their machines.

The completed system is expected to begin shipping to customers this year. At $40,000, the system is roughly one-tenth of the cost of industrial robots and requires less than a day for installation.

Veo co-founder Patrick Sobalvarro projects $1 billion in annual revenue within five years. Sobalvarro hails Veo’s system as the “end of fear” around bulky but fast-moving industrial robots.

Let Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products Do the Heavy Lifting

Our material handling equipment improves workplace safety in any warehouse. Contact us for more information.

The Unexpectedly High Cost of Warehouse and Forklift Injuries

Be Careful where You Step!
Be Careful where You Step!

Damages to warehouse equipment are easily resolved by repair or replacement, resulting in a fixed cost. But workplace injuries create a financial ripple effect that goes well beyond medical expenses.

Data shows the average work-related injury costs $188,000, with $150,000 of that amount coming from indirect costs. Here’s a look at some eye-opening facts about warehouse and forklift accidents and the different ways they impact operations.

Causes of Warehouse and Forklift Accidents

– The three most common warehouse injuries result from slip-and-fall; musculoskeletal activities such as pushing and lifting; and use of forklifts and other material handling equipment.

– Most accidents occur in, on or around docks, forklifts, conveyors, material storage and manual lifting and handling.

– Approximately 20,000 workplace injuries are sustained in forklift accidents, with 25 percent resulting from an overturned forklift.

– An average of 100 forklift accidents each year end in fatalities. Roughly 42 percent occur when the operator is crushed by a falling vehicle. In many cases, the seatbelt was not used as per OSHA regulations.

– Pallet jack failure is most often caused by poor work habits such as overloaded or improperly configured racks and operator error.

Employer Costs

Primary direct costs of workplace accidents are medical expenses for the injured employee and repair or replacement of damaged warehouse equipment. Indirect expenses include salaries of temporary workers, changes to insurance premiums, legal costs and lost productivity and business opportunities.

Employee Costs

Injured employees also incur direct and indirect costs. These can include reduction or loss of salary, overtime pay and savings; unreimbursed medical expenses; and ongoing treatment for chronic pain.

Warehouse Equipment Designed for Safety

Our battery-powered warehouse equipment reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury incurred by handling heavy or awkward loads. Contact DJ Products for more information.

Top Behaviors that Cause Forklift Accidents – What to Know

OSHA Weighs in On Forklift Safety Awareness
OSHA Weighs in On Forklift Safety Awareness

Is warehouse equipment safety training a priority in your company’s culture? Statistics show that 10 percent of forklifts will be involved in an accident over the next year due to poor training or operator error, resulting in 100,000 job-related injuries.

Accident prevention is more cost-effective than paying for medical costs and equipment damage. Use these tips to create greater safety awareness among your workers.

Develop Effective Training Programs

Some companies pay lip service to safety training, doing just enough to satisfy requirements. Focus on creating a meaningful training program that integrates demonstrations, interactive lessons and other learning forms to maintain interest. In addition, make training an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.

Identify Risk Factors

Telematic data gathering lets you document location and other significant information about accidents and near misses. Use the data to develop a profile of common risk factors and incorporate the findings in safety training. You can also take steps to counteract risk, such as increasing lighting at dangerous intersections.

Monitor Optical Location Records

Optical location data provides real-time information to track individual drivers. Look for patterns corresponding with safety violations to spotlight areas for improvement.

Identify Risky Driver Behavior

Main causes of operator error include:

– Poor spatial awareness, such as misjudging the size of a load

– Recklessness, such as speeding or driving in unauthorized areas

– Complacency, which leads to lack of awareness regarding pedestrians, obstructions and other potential hazards

Put Safety First with Warehouse Equipment from DJ Products

Our battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers come with standard safety features such as high-tech speed controllers, neutral throttle braking, and safety stop switches to reduce risk of accidents and injuries. Use the handy chat feature on our website to learn more from our knowledgeable sales engineers.

OSHA Weighs in On Forklift Safety Awareness

OSHA Weighs in On Forklift Safety Awareness
OSHA Weighs in On Forklift Safety Awareness

Forklifts are standard material handling equipment in most warehouses. While forklifts allow greater productivity, they can also increase risk of injury and damage if workers don’t follow safe operating procedures.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promotes education and training to raise awareness of workplace safety. Here are OSHA’s top tips for operating forklifts safely and efficiently.

Mounting and Dismounting

– Make sure hands are clean and dry to prevent slipping off handholds.

– Don’t use the steering wheel to pull yourself up.

– Check the soles of shoes for grease that may cause your footing to slip.

– Climb in and out carefully and avoid jumping.

Starting and Stopping

– Conduct a visual and operational inspection of the forklift before each use.

– Check the travel path for obstructions.

– Watch out for blind spots and use the horn as needed.

– Don’t park in a spot that blocks the aisle or doorways.

– Always engage the parking brake.

Driving, Steering and Turning

– Drive at a speed that allows for safe stopping.

– Always look in the direction of travel.

– Reduce speed when turning and come to a complete stop before changing directions.

– Make sure forks are lowered before turning or reversing.

– Give pedestrians generous clearance.

– When traveling on an incline, always keep the load upgrade.

Forklift Operators

– Keep arms and legs inside the forklift at all times.

– Never carry passengers on the lift itself.

– Don’t engage in stunt driving or tricks.

– In case of a tipover, hold tight to the steering wheel, brace your feet and lean away from the impact.

Put Safety First with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

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Tips for Keeping Your Warehouse Staff Safe from Forklift Injuries

Tips for Keeping Your Warehouse Staff Safe from Forklift Injuries
Tips for Keeping Your Warehouse Staff Safe from Forklift Injuries

If your business doesn’t have the advantage of tugger carts, and is relying on forklifts for the movement of products and inventory, safety training is essential to prevent dangerous and costly accidents. You can’t just hop-in and go – it takes more than a little traditional driving experience to operate these heavy machines.

Tips for Safe Forklift Operation
Employees should be fully trained and qualified to operate lifting equipment, not only for their own safety, but for that of your staff as well.

– Pre-Operational Safety
Operators should have clean, dry hands, and begin by examining the forklift for damage, including steering, brakes, mast, tires, and other control issues. Drivers should buckle-in for operation, adjusting seating and mirrors for comfort and safety.

– Load Stability
Before moving loads, always ensure they are securely and stably positioned across both forks, and within permissible heights.

– Movement
Survey surroundings for staff/obstacles before driving. Know site rules, including speed and height limitations, and staying on designated paths. Remain vigilant of people and surroundings, keeping your distance from employees, objects and vehicles. Ensure a safe stopping distance. (You can control your maneuvers – but not those of others.) Be mindful of bumps, debris, loose road surfaces and clearance issues, watching for signs of load limits.

– Ramps
Drive forward up the ramp; down in reverse.

– Delivery
Do not move/unrack the load unless visibility is optimal. Keep your body clear of the lowered mast to avoid serious injury. Do not let anyone near/under the machinery or forks.

– Safety
Never leave a running forklift unattended. Park in designated areas with forks lowered and park brake engaged. Always remove the key.

Keep workers safe from forklift injuries. Discover more about tugger carts from DJ Products today.

Safety Factors Force Decline of Forklift Trucks

“When we think of unsafe operations, a fork lift truck tipping over is about as bad as it gets,” said Fork Lift Truck Association CEO David Ellison. “But it can and does get worse if the operator is not restrained. Indeed it gets a bloody site worse. Many people think this is something that couldn’t happen on their site … but we know it does … and more often than you would think!”

Ellison spoke those grim words in promotion of the European association’s 2008 Safety Conference. In the U.S., OSHA estimates that each year forklifts are responsible for 85 fatalities, 34,900 serious injuries and 61,800 non-serious injuries. Of the 855,900 forklifts in operation in the U.S., the Industrial Truck Association estimates that 11% will be involved in an accident this year. Since the useful life of a lift truck is 8 years, 90% of all forklifts will be involved in an accident during their useful life.

The major causes of forklift fatalities are:

  • 42% tipovers
  • 25% crushed between vehicle and a surface
  • 11% crushed between 2 vehicles
  • 10% struck or run over by a forklift
  • 8% struck by falling material
  • 4% fall from platform on the forks

For the past 20 years, forklifts have been the major cause of industrial deaths and accidents in the U.S. Nearly half of forklift fatalities (42%) occur in manufacturing facilities. Construction settings account for 24% of fatalities, followed by wholesale facilities (12.5%), transportation (11%), retail trade (9%) and mining (1.2%).

The likelihood of serious injury or death has spurred many manufacturers and businesses to limit and often entirely remove forklifts from their facilities. Motorized electric carts and tugs are able to perform most forklift tasks more efficiently, more economically and with much greater safety.