It’s a busy day on the road. The highway is packed with cars busting the speed limit. You’re cruising along, trying to avoid the drivers weaving in and out of traffic. All of a sudden, brake lights flash ahead. Through the line of cars, you see a row of orange cones banking into your lane. On cue, turn signals blink to life on the vehicles in front. You click on your own and check your mirrors. There’s a gap in the lane next to you, and you turn your wheel to fill it. That’s when the warning light on your side view mirror flares. You pump the brakes and twist the wheel back into your lane as a motorcycle comes ripping up the dotted line straight out of nowhere. Heart pounding, you breathe a sigh of relief. You didn’t see him. Good thing your car did.

Life moves fast. And it’s all too easy for accidents to creep in from the blind spots. However, modern cars are safer with the addition of external sensors like proximity alerts. And now the same can be true for your forklift fleet. Keep reading to learn how the new Toyota Smart Environment Sensor can improve warehouse safety.

If you’ve ever driven through a busy parking lot, you know what chaos looks like. While you troll the aisles looking for a place to park, hazards surround you. Distracted shoppers wander the road with their noses stuck in their phones. Cars back out of spots without looking. Shopping carts clog up parking spaces. And traffic jockeys for the right-of-way with no clear direction from signs or lights. 

These conditions would be a nightmare on a loading dock. Yet, without proper engineering controls, a loading dock and a busy parking lot have much in common. So it’s no wonder 25% of all warehouse injuries take place on the loading dock. And for every accident, there are hundreds of close calls. 

With trailer restraints, you can prevent these accidents. Smart hook trailer dock locks can save your company millions in time, money, and human misery.

Loading dock managers are relentless workers. They strive to meet ever-growing productivity targets and minimize downtime, invest in new material handling equipment, and hire more personnel. Their crew adheres to an aggressive loading and unloading schedule.

While productivity is top of mind, safety at the loading dock is often an afterthought. Managers are pressed into cutting corners with safety and overlook hazardous situations. But that doesn't have to be the reality for your loading dock.

The new standards place greater responsibility on the equipment user/owner regardless of whether they are a large maintenance operation or a small business that rents a scissor lift, boom lift, etc. for seasonal work. Employers, owners and operators must be in compliance by December 10, 2019. 

Don’t get caught off guard. Learn more about the new ANSI A92.22 standards for Safe Use and ANSI A92.24 standards for Training.

Blue spotlights mounted on the front and/or rear of the lift truck alert pedestrians when a forklift is nearby, and how fast it’s approaching. The lights project a bright blue light about 8 feet in front of or behind the forklift, depending on where the light is mounted.

Red zone forklift lights illuminate areas on each side of the forklift pedestrians should avoid. By reminding workers to keep their distance, you can lower the odds of someone getting hit by the rear-end swing when the forklift turns.

The loading area between the truck and the warehouse is one of the most hazardous areas for forklift operators and warehouse employees. Thousands of workers are injured or killed each year due to trailer creep, premature truck departures and sloppy placement. 

It’s a sad fact that safety measures aren’t considered until after a serious accident occurs. Many loading dock accidents can be prevented with a simple dock lock, also known as a vehicle restraint. A dock lock is inexpensive protection against a worst-case scenario, such as a forklift falling off the dock. It takes up very little space, and you may be able to get a discount on your insurance for being proactive about loading dock safety.