Support Best Practices with These Key Elements of Forklift Safety

Operator training is a critical, foundational element of forklift safety.

By: Jason Moore, Contributor

A forklift truck operator picks a load off an outdoor rack. Image courtesy of Hyster.

There’s no “easy button” or magic wand for forklift safety. Supporting lift truck operating best practices requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach, including training, real-time support and monitoring, and evaluation. Not only that, but those elements must evolve over time, as technology makes a welcome impact to advance training, lift truck stability and ongoing coaching.

Inexperienced operators and shorthanded crews exacerbate the challenges that businesses face, but forklift safety remains essential in keeping operations moving and hitting supply chain targets on-time and on-budget. From fast-paced manufacturing facilities to intense lumber and construction sites, operations must get the most out of a limited labor pool and a comprehensive forklift safety strategy can help bridge the productivity gap while working to support forklift safety.

THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT: TRAINING

Operator training is a critical, foundational element of forklift safety. Full Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lift truck operator certification requires formal instruction, practical, hands-on training and operator evaluation. The OSHA certification process also requires operators to be trained and certified by the employer in the use of their equipment at their specific job site before being allowed to operate the equipment as part of their work.

No two operations are the same, so it is critical to strategize a training process tailored to equip your operators for the specific needs and challenges associated with your unique facility, workflows and lift trucks. There are choices for how to structure the format of a training program, including technology-enabled options, which may be especially valuable to consider if an operation is onboarding and training new operators with relatively high frequency. While human delivery of information can naturally result in some level of variance – from instructor to instructor, or session to session – a training format in which the trainer leverages packaged, digital material can help minimize inconsistencies like significant differences in messaging or incomplete lessons.

Equipping trained trainers with digital modules, webinars and on-demand “micro-learnings” that they can supplement and reinforce in real time can help keep content consistent, while also taking advantage of contemporary adult learning methodologies that help learners engage with the material and ultimately better comprehend the skills and knowledge needed to be an effective operator. For instance, some training programs offer shorter video sections interspersed with hands-on learning, providing consistent instruction in a structure designed with enough variety to keep trainees engaged. This consistency is especially attractive to busy manufacturers and other operations that must scale up high volumes of new lift truck operators quickly due to turnover or seasonal upticks, without overwhelming in-house training resources.

Another way that technology can help support the operator training process is through immersive simulation. Forklift operators can use virtual reality (VR) simulators to practice new skills, better familiarize themselves with operating a new type of truck or working in a specific environment. Simulation can help reduce training liabilities or damage, while allowing operators to make mistakes and get additional learning exposure in a controlled environment. But like the other tools, VR training should be viewed as a supplement. It is not a replacement for hands-on forklift training.

Lift truck telematics provide data that can help managers better manage equipment and operators. Image courtesy of Hyster.

MONITOR AND MANAGE OPERATOR PERFORMANCE

Telemetry systems can track several aspects of fleets, from equipment diagnostics and utilization to individual operator performance. All this information can be accessed in real-time via desktops, laptops and mobile devices to facilitate informed fleet management decisions and assist with managing operator behavior. Tracking truck information by the specific operator provides visibility to information like travel locations and idle time. Some systems can even notify managers when impacts happen, with information about where the incident occurred and who was operating the truck. This data can be used to help identify high performers who deserve recognition and those who may require more training.

Certain systems can also be used to apply equipment performance limitations based on operator experience and skill level. For example, new hires might have their trucks capped at slower speeds to help reduce potential risk, while more experienced operators can have controls set to allow access to higher levels of equipment performance. Telemetry options may also restrict equipment access to only operators with the proper certification for that truck type, preventing operators without certification from even starting equipment. Notifications can also be sent for operators with certifications to expire soon, so they can go through proper processes to get re-certified and maintain productivity.

Operator assist technologies can help maintain forklift and load stability, and help avoid collisions. Image courtesy of Hyster.

REAL-TIME SUPPORT FOR OPERATORS

While telemetry can help facilities monitor and reactively address operator behavior and truck impact events at their facility, operator assist systems with integrated stability control offer a more proactive approach to help minimize certain tip over risks and automatically reinforce safe operating practices. For example, one such solution promotes lift truck stability by applying limitations to truck performance in certain conditions, accompanied by audible and visual alerts that communicate the cause of the intervention to the operator. These automatic interventions happen in real time, helping to support stable travel and provide operators with an immediate layer of feedback that can help reinforce the proper lift truck operation established during their training.

In addition to stability systems, certain applications can take advantage of a different type of operator assistance technology that limits truck performance based on real-time information about not only the equipment, but also the operating environment. Businesses can use these advanced operator assist systems to proactively adjust truck performance when pedestrians and other lift trucks are detected in proximity, when objects are detected in the path of travel, or in response to facility-specific rules, such as excluding equipment from entering designated areas like pedestrian zones.

SAFETY IS ALWAYS THE PRIORITY

As businesses continue to demand more from supply chains, safety must remain in focus. Training is the tried-and-true foundation, and technologies are advancing to provide support for businesses striving to help operators be better equipped to perform properly and stick to those best practices. The key is a layered approach and remembering that no two facilities are alike. Managers must choose the right training protocols and safety tools best suited for their operation, employees and equipment. WMHS

Jason Moore is an operator training and sales enablement manager at Hyster.  Hyster’s seasoned experts go beyond the equipment. Explore material handling and lifting industry research, analysis and case studies at: https://www.hyster.com/en-us/north-america/