Why Forklift Safety Day is So Important

This year’s National Forklift Safety Day across the USA culminates in a series of free forklift safety events held in Washington DC. The activities come at a time when warehouse facilities have been working harder than ever due to rising warehouse space costs and the disruption of post-Covid supply chain issues.

Warehouse professionals have, though, responded by focussing on exceptional efficiency through actions like analyzing their warehouse capacity, efficiency and safety.

This makes 2023 – with National Forklift Safety Day servicing as a timely reminder – an ideal time to make sure that the ‘safety’ part of warehousing change is working as hard as possible. This includes considering the latest forklift safety features as an improvement to a current fleet.

The benefits? A safer warehouse with safety feature-packed trucks doesn’t just mean risk assessments become easier, but even minor accidents, strains and operator tiredness can be reduced thanks to improved safety factors like visibility and the latest ergonomic designs for operator comfort.

With 70% of forklift accidents preventable with standard truck safety features, the human, efficiency and cost benefits of leveraging this capability from a fleet are extremely powerful.

But how to choose the right forklift? The section below reveals some must-see forklift safety features to watch out for when reviewing 2023’s forklift options. 

National Forklift Safety Day 2023

Game-Changing Forklift Safety Features

• Some recent innovations have transformed forklift safety. And this makes them features you’ll want to review when assessing a forklift upgrade.

These design changes have come about because accident stats, like the 42% of accidents caused by a truck tipping over or 25% involving crushing between the vehicle and a surface, mean ‘designing out’ most accidents through choice of truck is very possible.

And taking action to protect against injuries creates a major risk for a warehouse and its operator alike:

• Injuries, and worse, continue across the USA: As many as 34,900 injuries from forklift accidents occur annually while one in six workplace deaths involve a forklift.

• The cost of damage: $86m in damage to warehouses and plants across a 10-year period due to improper, careless operation of powered industrial trucks.

• Billions of $ in workers’ compensation: An estimated $1bn in direct workers’ compensation costs.

Combilift Walkie Pedestrian Stacker Advantage

Is there a safer alternative to ride-on forklifts? – Yes!

• Pedestrian forklifts: Now in use worldwide and for good reason, pedestrian operated forklifts like the Combilift pedestrian range are growing in popularity due to the safety benefits when operating around other personnel, especially when working on shop floors. Studies have shown that operators of pedestrian trucks have been found to be more aware of their surroundings and vulnerabilities, leading to more careful operation and accident-free environments.

• Combilift Pedestrian Forklift Trucks: Taking Forklift Safety to yet another level, Combilift pedestrian trucks boast the latest in safety features, and offer unparalleled performance and safety, and with capacities up to 4,000Kg (8,000lbs), these rugged trucks are recommended for a closer look when considering the safety performance of a new truck or fleet.

• The Combilift Patented Tiller Arm: A multi-position feature found on Combilift pedestrian models, the Combilift Tiller Arm is unique in that it allows the operator to stand clear of the rear ‘crush zone’ behind the machine. Plus, the option to offset the rear wheel 90 degrees from the tiller arm means even more visibility for the operator and other pedestrians. It even helps reduce product damage and ultra-user-friendly controls for rapid training times.

With that side-operated operation made possible by the Combilift tiller arm, visibility of the product, rack and aisle is excellent. The option to switch to a rotary attachment, tire-handling clamps, white good clamps or side-on platforms – and more – means superb versatility too.

Space saving is again achievable with the Combilift COMBI-WR, COMBI-WR4 and COMBI-CS pedestrian trucks, which perform particularly well in narrow aisles – even with high levels of pedestrian traffic.

• Ergonomic advances: A greater than ever focus on and ease of use in terms of physical effort means reduced strain for warehouse colleagues. For example, this Combilft ‘walkie’ truck allows one person to effortlessly move loads of up to 3,500lbs.

Some good news? Switching to a safer forklift is very easy and can even bring some exceptional warehouse capacity benefits. Read on to find out more…

How Combilift Can Help

An additional benefit of a truck safety upgrade is found in terms of efficiency improvements as both factors go hand in hand for many warehouse operators.

A simple way to begin this process? Claiming a complimentary Combilift warehouse capacity and safety review.

Not only will the review find a capacity increase of up to 100%, but gives an opportunity to find out more about safer-by-design Combilift vehicles including:

CS Series: A range of sideloader and counterbalance forklifts for long loads.

• COMBI-CB: Compact counterbalance forklifts, like the new COMBI-CB70E, with multidirectional capabilities, designed for both pallets and long loads.

• COMBI-WR4: The pedestrian forklift designed for optimum operator safety while handling pallets and long loads.These award-winning vehicles have even been recognised with major industry accolades such as:
•  IFOY Award 2022: For the COMBI-CS.
• Fork Lift Truck Association Award for Safety 2019: Won by the COMBI-PPT.
• BITA Design 4 Safety Awards 2019: Presented to Combilift for the walkie multi-position tiller arm.

Why Combilift? We’re a trusted partner for materials handling efficiency in high-performance facilities worldwide. The largest global manufacturer of multi-directional forklifts and an acknowledged leader in long load handling solutions, every truck is built in Ireland by Combilift and supported by our global dealership network.

Exporting to more than 85 countries and with more than 60,000 trucks in use, no other manufacturer in the world can deliver the same level of customization and adaptability to cater so effectively to the diverse needs of every individual customer.

Combilift Warehouse Optimisation

To find out how Combilift can deliver a safer, quicker materials handling capability, with enhanced storage capacity and superb RoI, simply contact a Combilift specialist for expert advice or to request your free warehouse layout consultation.