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.

Sealing systems such as dock seals and shelters are a relatively low-cost investment that offer significant benefits in energy cost savings and loading dock safety. By enclosing the gap between the trailer and the dock door, parked trailers become secure, climate-controlled extensions of your facility. The right sealing system prevents outside weather (heat, cold, rain/snow) from entering your facility and damaging cargo. In addition to reducing heating and cooling costs, you maintain a clean, dry dock area and reduce the chance of a slip-and-fall accident. An enclosed dock area also means pests and vermin stay outside where they belong.

Learn more about the different options for loading dock sealing systems:

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 ANSI standards released in December 2018 affect all owners, operators and supervisors of aerial lifts including: booms, scissor lifts and under-bridge inspection machines. The new standards are designed to enhance safety and shift North American equipment standards closer to international standards - allowing companies and equipment manufacturers to be more competitive in the global marketplace.

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.

More than 95,000 forklift accidents happen each year. Statistically, this means about 1 in 10 forklifts will be involved in some type of incident. Experts estimate 70 percent of forklift accidents can be prevented, and forklift safety lights are a simple way to make your workplace safer for both forklift operators and pedestrians.

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.