Forklift Safety Starts with Technology: How iWarehouse Helps Prevent Incidents

With National Forklift Safety Day on June 9, a good place to start is with the fundamentals of workplace safety and how using technology can make a real difference in preventing incidents and reinforcing best practices.

Forklift Safety Begins with the Right Foundations

To start, only certified operators should operate forklifts, and iWarehouse’s access control is a simple and effective way to ensure this standard is always met. iWarehouse also makes tracking certification expirations a breeze, showing you when operators are approaching expiration so you have plenty of time to coordinate re-certification. In the worst case, if an operator lapses in their certification, iWarehouse will prevent them from logging into the forklift, ensuring your business stays in compliance.

Your material handling partner can handle all your forklift training and certification needs. With hands-on instruction, virtual tools, and on-site flexible training, you get peace of mind knowing your operations are compliant and efficient.

Ensure Only Certified Operators Are Behind the Controls

In addition, making sure that daily safety checklists are completed is crucial for staying ahead of potential hazards. iWarehouse’s digital checklist makes this process seamless and easy to track. Daily checklists are required before an operator can start driving the forklift for the day, and all completed checklists are saved in the cloud for easy access in case they ever need to be pulled for an audit. Checklist questions can also be randomized and timed, so it’s easy to spot when they are being “pencil-whipped”.  To support diverse workforces, checklists can be created in any language, with operators assigned a primary or secondary language so their checklist automatically displays in the language they understand best when they log in.

When incidents do occur, accurate recording is incredibly important. Thankfully, with iWarehouse impact notifications, we not only notify supervisors by text or email when incidents occur, but we can also log all necessary information, which leads to better follow-up and prevention. With newer Raymond forklifts, those impacts can even trigger the forklift to slow down to 1mph until a supervisor resets the system.

Elevate Safety and Prevent Falls

Additional layers of assistance are available through iWarehouse. For example, the system can remind operators to tether in when using order pickers and swing reach trucks, thanks to the iWarehouse integrated tether feature. When the tether is not connected, it prevents the operator compartment from lifting off the ground and limits travel to 1mph.

Reduce Pedestrian Risk with Smart Proximity Alerts

Raymond’s FieldSense is another great system that provides timely alerts, reminding operators to slow down when they’re near other forklifts, pedestrians, or even building obstacles. This is great for buildings with blind corners or high-traffic areas where forklifts might pose a hazard to pedestrians. Another useful application is on low-hanging doors or mezzanines, using the alert to remind operators to lower their mast before driving under the low overhang.

When Forklifts Automatically Slow or Stop to Prevent Accidents

Taking safety a step further, next-level controls can actually override truck functions in critical situations. With iWarehouse ObjectSense, forklifts are forced to slow down or stop when approaching objects in their path. Additionally, the iWarehouse Real Time Location System can automatically stop vehicles at pedestrian crossings, slow them at aisle ends and blind corners, and even prevent trucks from entering pedestrians-only zones.

Make Forklift Safety Technology Part of Everyday Operations

Embrace these powerful tools and make them part of your everyday routine to protect yourself and your colleagues. If you have questions about any of these features or would like a demo, please let us know. Let’s continue to make safety our top priority!