Each year on the second Tuesday of June, we celebrate National Forklift Safety Day. This year being the 10th anniversary, we decided to pay tribute by taking the week to count down the top 7 most common forklift safety accidents and how we at Third Wave Automation tackle each problem.
7th Most Common Forklift Accident: Speeding. Speeding is a major factor in many forklift accidents. Operators who speed are more likely to lose control of their forklifts and cause accidents. We work with our customers, for each of their facilities, to make sure that the top speeds in autonomous or remote operation mode are to their guidelines and specifications.
6th Most Common Forklift Accident: Distracted driving. Operators who are distracted by their phones, conversations, or other tasks are more likely to make mistakes that can lead to accidents. Third Wave Automation relies on a powerful sensor suite, including Ouster 3D lidar, to provide floor-to-ceiling spatial awareness of the warehouse – avoiding obstacles, and preventing accidents.
5th Most Common Forklift Accident: Blocked sight. Blocked sight accounts for about 8% of all forklift accidents. They can be caused by obstructions in the warehouse, such as boxes or pallets, or by forklifts that are not properly maneuvered. To deal with this, Third Wave has replaced 2D cameras used in traditional automation systems with FRAMOS D400e 3D cameras. This way, we give our vehicles 360 vision and enhanced situational awareness – which improves our ability to detect potential obstacles with unprecedented detail.
4th Most Common Forklift Accident: Personnel falling from forks. Personnel falling from forks accounts for about 10% of all forklift accidents. They can be caused by forklifts that are not properly operated, or by forklifts that are not properly equipped with safety features, such as guardrails. With Third Wave Automation’s multimode trucks, you have the option of deploying in autonomous, remote assist, remote operation, or traditional manual- significantly reducing your risk of falls.
3rd Most Common Forklift Accident: Falling loads. Falling loads account for about 14% of all forklift accidents. They can be caused by forklifts that are not properly loaded, or by forklifts that are not properly secured. Third Wave equips their TWA Reach trucks with Intel® RealSense™ depth cameras to ensure that the pallets rest securely at the back of the forks and sensors in the forks detect unbalanced loads, avoiding the risk of falling pallets.
2nd Most Common Forklift Accident: Pedestrian impacts. Pedestrian impacts account for about 18% of all forklift accidents. TWA Forklifts rely on extremely powerful 3D lidars, cameras, and sensors to know their location in a facility, detect obstacles, and navigate safely in a constantly changing environment. With 360 degree views and no blind spots, you can create a safer, more efficient work environment for your employees.
Most Common Forklift Accident: Forklift rollovers account for about 24% of all forklift accidents. At Third Wave Automation, number one on our list of corporate values is safety. We put safety first in everything we do. Click below to learn more about our safety story.