What are the causes of forklift accidents?
You can’t imagine a warehouse or a large plant without a forklift, but this convenience also has a dark side. Every year there are accidents that are caused by improper or incorrect use of strollers. Fortunately, there are devices on the market that avoid accidents, and are more comfortable than traditional strollers and easier to operate. However, people operating them do not have to have permissions, as for forklifts.
From time to time – most often in tight production and warehouse areas – accidents involving forklifts occur. Unfortunately, sometimes they end in the death of operators or bystanders. At the beginning of April, a veterinarian who was performing official duties in a meat processing plant in the Łódź Voivodeship died as a result of being hit by such a vehicle. The operator of the trolley testified that he observed the area, but did not notice it. Similar tragic events occur in Poland every year.
The most common reasons for accidents involving forklifts are overrun (20 per cent of accidents), crushing with a wheelchair (16.7 per cent) and being hit (12.5 per cent) – according to data collected by Dr. Sławomir Halusiak. It is said that the weakest link is man. Driving a forklift requires mastering many skills and completing a course, and as the demand for operators is enormous, there is no certainty that all workers have been properly trained.
Another issue is the incorrect use of the trolley: overloading it, using it to move the load forward or backward.
According to the technical specifications, trolleys are used only to lift and transport goods, but many companies, wanting to save time and money, ignore these rules. The consequence may be the loss of the warranty or, in the worst-case scenario, an accident, and thus legal consequences for using the trolley contrary to its DTR (technical and operational documentation).
Despite the danger of an accident, no one can imagine working in a warehouse without equipment for moving heavy loads. Fortunately, there is an alternative. For more than 25 years, devices have been available on the market that can partially replace forklifts, and at the same time are safer. These are electric tractors and tugs, which, depending on the model, allow you to carry dimensions weighing up to 30,000 kg, and after appropriate modification – up to hundreds of 360,000 kg.
Operating tractors and electric tugs is much simpler than maneuvering a forklift. The training lasts no more than an hour, which is important in the context of savings and the ability to quickly train the employees of the plant. Pracodactor also does not have to send employees for external training in the use of these devices, as in the case of forklifts.
Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.