Forklifts are a common cause of injury and damage in warehouses, as the heavy machinery has the potential to cause a lot of damage. That’s why there are so many rules and regulations about proper forklift safety and usage. But you can always do more to make forklift operation safer for your employees. Here’s a guide on how to improve forklift safety at your warehouse.
Provide Training
One of the major ways you can improve safety around forklifts is by providing training to employees on forklift use. This training can range from driving to simply working safely around forklifts. This training will raise awareness and teach people about how to stay safe when working on or near forklifts.
Review the Operation Area Layout
A major reason why forklifts can be so problematic depends on your area’s layout. Forklifts take up a lot of space and aren’t very nimble. So, any area that uses forklifts needs plenty of room for maneuvering to ensure accidents don’t occur. Luckily, the benefits of using professional pallet racking installers can help alleviate these problems, as they can help you create a better layout.
Run Inspections
Before you start using a forklift, you should run inspections of the equipment and the operation area. Look for anything that might get in the way of the forklift and move it; that way, the forklift will have a clear space to operate. You should inspect equipment frequently for damage to prevent issues during use. Run these equipment inspections at least every two weeks for everyone’s safety.
Install Floor Markers
Use floor markings to indicate aisles and lanes for everyone in the warehouse. This will help keep everyone safe by keeping everything organized. The markers help people navigate around the warehouse safely and help newer hires quickly learn safety around the forklifts.
By following this guide on how to improve forklift safety at your warehouse, you can take major steps to keep your workers safe and lowering product damage costs. These steps might seem a bit cost-intensive, but you’ll more than make up for it in productivity increases and worker’s comp case reduction.
