materialhandlingupdate LIFT TRUCKS
operating conditions.
But the problem goes beyond the programs themselves,
Hoover says. There’s also the issue of who’s getting training
and how much training they’re getting. Hoover believes
many companies provide inadequate instruction to inexpe-
rienced drivers. “If you bring in a good employee with no
experience, you have to build a driver,” he says. “The more
seat time you get them, the better.”
Employees who work in the vicinity of the forklifts often
get the short shrift as well, Hoover says. “We spend time
and money on [instruction for] drivers, but there’s often
not training for working around forklifts,” he says. “You
need to provide awareness training, and you can do it in
half an hour.”
Hoover, who offers forklift training programs to opera-
tions of all sizes, advocates a more holistic approach that
includes site visits and observations. He says that he insists
on talking to facility managers, examining incident reports
and safety records, and observing operations as a starting
point. He looks for simple things such as whether lift-truck
operators are required to wear seat belts and how strictly
supervisors enforce the rules.
safer at any speed
Get tough
While inadequate training may be a big factor in forklift
accidents, it’s only part of the story, according to Hoover.
Another problem is lax supervision, he says. Hoover believes
that operating managers are often not tough enough about
enforcing good operating practices.
“One of the biggest problems I see is that
management teams do not enforce the correct
things, and that is killing people,” he contends.
“They are too casual about enforcing rules.”
Hoover says a lack of clarity about manage-
ment’s rights and responsibilities may be
partly to blame. “Some [supervisors] say it is
not their business if the truck driver wears a
seatbelt,” says Hoover, who often provides
expert testimony in court cases involving lift-
truck accidents. “But it is the company’s busi-
ness. You expect certain things from work-
ers—to be on time, to be clean and sober. You
can also expect them to operate safely, control
their speeds, and wear their seatbelts. If they
don’t do it, you discipline them, and if they
still don’t do it, you cut them loose.
Enforcement is part of management.”
He also dismisses the idea that demands for
keeping goods moving sometimes require
compromises in safety. Good equipment,
appropriate technology, thorough training,
and strict enforcement of safety rules enhance
rather than detract from getting goods out the
door safely and efficiently, Hoover argues.
“Companies can be world class in productivi-
ty and safe at the same time,” he says.
The latest lift-truck safety technologies aren’t always found on the trucks
themselves. Nowadays, safety innovations are just as likely to come in
areas like the fleet management systems used to monitor trucks and drivers, or in equipment designed for the loading dock.
For example, in December, Crown Equipment Corp. released an update
of its InfoLink fleet management system with several new safety features.
These include tools to lock out drivers whose certifications have expired
and to force drivers to complete a safety checklist before starting up the
truck. The system allows each truck to be programmed to control speeds
so, for instance, a novice driver can be held to slower speeds than more
experienced operators. The updated software also features an enhanced
impact sensing system, according to Maria Schwieterman, marketing
product manager for the company’s Insite Productivity Suite (which
includes the InfoLink system).
Raymond Corp. too has incorporated speed-control features into its
fleet management system. The company’s iWarehouse solution includes
a module that lets managers remotely set speed limits on individual
trucks. “You can change the specs as operators become more experi-
enced to allow the driver to be more productive,” says Joseph LaFergola,
Raymond’s marketing manager for business and information solutions.
“Or you can ratchet down performance for drivers not operating within
the guidelines. If you notice a lot of damage or impacts, you can give a
driver a probationary period.”
As for safety technologies designed for the loading dock, one exam-
ple is Rite Vu, a new warning light system from Rite-Hite, a maker of
loading dock safety systems. The Rite Vu system alerts dock personnel
when a forklift is inside a trailer, and provides forklift drivers with visu-
al assurance that the truck they’re about to enter (or have already
entered) is securely attached to the dock. “We’re concentrating on sig-
naling and communication,” says Joe Manone, the company’s vice pres-
ident of marketing.
