Protecting people and profits
November 1st 2008

'A safer workplace is a more profitable business' was the common thread of the FLTA's Safety Conference at the end of September.

Brendan Coyne gives an overview of safety solutions pitched by firms looking to profit by boosting yours

To his credit, FLTA chief exec, David Ellison, didn't try to disguise the commercial drivers behind many of the event's speakers. Afterall, he said, businesses exist to make money.

But all were selected by the FLTA because their products can contribute to a safer working environment, thereby generating more healthy profits.

Reducing overturns While commercially independent, even the HSE's presentation 'Dynamic stability in counterbalance trucks' praised the efforts of Toyota for its SAS system, Linde for its high pivot point and Still and Jungheinrich's 'Curve control'. As overturning of trucks accounts for 14% of all accidents/incidents investigated by the HSE, and 30% of all fatal accidents, the ability to reduce the risk of lateral overturn (responsible for by far the highest percentage of accidents) represents a major contribution to a safer industry. With these trucks already on the market, there has been a reduction in tip over accidents, according to the HSE, but the executive says it is too early to say whether dynamic stability improvements are solely responsible.

Preventing driveaways Castell's Jason Reed extolled the virtues of Salvo in reducing loading bay driveaways. He said the HSE estimated 20-25% of all factory and warehouse accidents happen around the loading bay, with 10 fatalities last year as a result.

Although numerous loading bay control measures exist, Reed dismissed them as ineffective.

"Traffic lights, like road driving, can be 'jumped' by drivers, and European drivers may look at the set of lights on the other side of the bay. Hanging vehicle keys meanwhile, doesn't always mean you get the truck's actual keys, or that the driver doesn't have a spare set." He said wheel chocks can be driven over, and banksmen are becoming increasingly uncommon.

"The trouble with all the alternatives is that they require a high degree of supervision, and if that supervision fails, discipline and retraining can be costly." On the other hand, he said the Salvo solution a key system and control panel is failsafe as it removes the risk of human error. As the loading bay door won't open without the key, it can also improve security, and, by using the trailer's emergency airline, it locks the brakes, so the truck cannot pull away.

Battery safety CMP's Nigel Harris gave an overview of battery safety, chiefly, the risks posed by inappropriate handling and maintenance.

Interestingly, he claims eliminating manual handling of batteries can save up to 65% of charging area floorspace as well as reduced damage to batteries and operators.

"CMP uses a car to take the battery from bay to user and back again," he said. "Therefore there is no manual handling risk to users, and the batteries are safer and last longer." Harris then explained the 'green grading' scheme outlined to Handling & Storage solutions in our energy efficient warehouse supplement published with the Feb 08 issue. You can find this article online at HSSSearch.com, but essentially he explained that as, over the life of the product, the battery and charger represents one third of total investment, with water, electricity and maintenance the remainder. Therefore, batteries with a higher energy rating, and requiring little or no maintenance, will prove least expensive overall.

Design for safety Toyota Europe's Benoit Meunier outlined how Toyota designs safety into its trucks beyond that stipulated by minimum industry standards such as Machinery Directive 98/37/EC. The SAS system praised by the HSE is one example. He said Toyota then looks at how safety options can be delivered to those who place safety high upon their corporate agenda.

Surprisingly, after sampling 1,600 counterbalance truck owners across 12 European countries, safety was second on the agenda, rather than top. "It's about profit," said Meunier.

"When we talk to companies, their definition of safety is 'Do not impact upon my profits'. But to err is human, and when people are rushing, mistakes happen. So we must combine safety with productivity, which involves, the driver, speed of operation, company layout, and internal organisation. The latter two we cannot influence. But with the right truck and training we can reduce accidents." Meunier then explained the optional benefits of the Toyota Tonero Safety+ package, such as the truck sensing when the load is raised and limiting speed and acceleration. For full details, see www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk

RFID and VNA advancements Jungheinrich's VNA sales manager, Gnter Fritzsche, explained how the EKX Kombi and transponder technology can boost safety and productivity in VNA operations.

"The market wants faster trucks with higher productivity, but safety and efficiency are key to delivering that," he said.

Alongside safety features such as an electronic sensor to ensure the battery compartment is locked before allowing operation, plus traction control as standard, Fritzsche said Jungheinrich's VNA transponder is "the GPS of VNA warehouses".

"The transponder replaces magnets, but instead of four different commands, the possibilities are more or less endless. By placing a transponder in the floor every 10m, the system (with the aid of an incremental counter) knows exactly where the truck is. Therefore, it can be told to slow down for a patch of rough floor, then speed up, and then stop at the end of the aisle likewise for lift heights in warehouses with sloping roofs." Other safety features include a front mounted scanner that detect objects in the truck's path. If an object (or person) is detected within 7m it slows down, and then stops if the object remains an obstacle.

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