Newsletter #202 (View other news stories)
David Hoover: Improved safety through fleet management
NEWARK, OH, United States
Thursday, 31 Mar 2005
One thing I love most about being a trainer is the opportunity to observe and work with many different businesses.
One problem I see almost universally is poor management of forklift fleets. If that just meant a loss of productivity, or that forklifts were not quite as comfortable or reliable as they could be, I would not be greatly concerned from a safety trainer’s standpoint. However fleet management has a large impact on safety and training. Some problems I see include:
• Running forklifts beyond their economic and functional lives
• Using too many different manufacturers with different controls.
Most companies manage their semi trucks very efficiently. They have developed the ability in-house or outsourced the job to a fleet management specialist. Part of that is because you don’t want a semi truck breaking down on the road with a load of important merchandise and because you don’t want your corporate logo on a broken down, rusty old semi truck the public will see. When did you last see a Wal-Mart semi truck that was not in good condition driving along the road? Unfortunately, many large companies are not applying this knowledge to their forklift fleets. It is common to see large companies still using outdated forklifts that are way past their functional lives. I have seen forklifts that simply can’t be repaired due to metal fatigue and some are so old they have no operator restraints or battery retention systems. The liability for a company that still uses these forklifts is substantial.
It is common to find companies that have trucks ranging from new to 30 years old and from many different manufacturers. A 30-year-old Hyster will not operate the same as a 2005 Yale. Some companies operate two pedal brake systems, one pedal brake systems, multidirectional travel pedals (Monotrol), and hydrostatic drive systems all in one warehouse. There is no problem with any of these controls, but it makes cross training more difficult and operating them more dangerous, since it takes time to become familiar with each set up and you get used to the type you run most frequently.
Here are some basic recommendations:
1. Inventory your fleet; many companies don’t know exactly what is in the warehouse. Track operating costs and hours for each forklift in your fleet.
2. Bring in several forklift dealers or, for a very large company, national account managers from several manufacturers to evaluate your current situation and make recommendations.
3. Settle on one manufacturer and purchase trucks with common control set ups. Thirty sit downs with the same control set up will make it easier to train your people, reduce damage and improve safety.
4. Whether you replace your entire fleet now, or over several years, ensure older forklifts that might be questionable from a safety standpoint get pruned out of your fleet ASAP.
David Hoover is president of Forklift Training Systems Inc, a US safety company specialising in site and forklift safety training, training trainers, custom program development and cutting-edge forklift safety products. Contact David Hoover.
|
CURRENT NEWS
|
