I know they have governors for speed like the limiter that were mentioned Do they have governers that govern depending on the weight of the load. Does a solution that is tied to the environmental factors such as weight load make sense to operators or if the load becomes unbalanced? I do not see a integrated weighing mechanism that does both. Does OSHA step in and implement such safety mechanisms if they seee fit?

Let me get on my soap box once again here preaching the value of supervision and accountability. Operating a lift truck in a safe manner is part of the job of a lift truck operator, and therefore, they need to be held accountable when they are observed not doing their jobs. Ensuring that lift truck operators are driving safely is part of the job of supervisors and managers, and therefore, they need to be held accountable if they fail to hold the lift truck operators accountable. I don't mean to oversimplify this, but it really is that simple. If you fail to hold people accountable, they will do as they please (and this goes far beyond safety). If you start holding people accountable, everything changes.

I frequently see supervisors and managers totally overwhelmed by the chaos created by a lack of control, yet it's their own fault for looking the other way when their employees don't follow the rules. Sure it takes a little extra effort initially to stop a lift truck operator when you see him doing something he is not supposed to, but once you do this a few times (and move to disciplinary steps if necessary), they will start following the rules. And this doesn't mean that you're going to have to go through this process with every employee. Once they see you are serious, they will change their ways. I have been through this on multiple occasions (at different operations) and it works every time. And once you see how easy it is, you will wonder what the **** you were thinking all those years when you were looking the other way.

Technology that helps force people to be safe is great, but you can't get technology to control every aspect of their job. There's nothing wrong with requiring workers to do their job the way they are instructed to do their job. You will find that you actually have a happier workforce under these conditions.

i worked on a toyota sitdown 5k electric last week (5fbc) it had a spedo
mitsu fb16kt with premium dash and tr3000 cats have spedos i think the new versions do too
as far as penalties send them home after several verbal warnings without pay and mark it on their "permanent record" lol
i was at a job yesterday where a guy sped onto a truck with a powered pallet jack (rider) and when he sped out (top speed) the dock plate slipped and the machine fell between the dock and truck just enough to throw the operator 5 feet onto his head
he went to the hospital with a concusion and he was knocked out for a few minutes
i think he will slow down from now on and had he been goin slow he might have noticed the plate was on the edge of the trailer

chewingyu, I have been around forklifts for over 23 years now and there is only one way to stop a driver from speeding and that is through a speed limiting device attached to the forklift. Check out www dot waresafety dot com dot au they have a range of speed limiters that would help your problem. We fitted them and our problem is gone.

Dan_m,

Well, unfortunately, we are unable to issue a fine nor withhold pay or any monetary penalty on our staff. I know some other companies do but not ours. But, we would occasionally caution those who speed and disciplinary action is taken if the speeding causes accidents.

Chewingyu

I know that telling operators to slow down is not an effective method. Human nature dictates that people will generally do what they want.

In the province of Ontario, Canada, smoking is now illegal in all public places. Companies have issued severe warnings regarding smoking in the workplace. If caught, they can be temporarily dismissed, with loss of pay, and the second time, loss of job. And that does not include being caught by the by-law officers.

It seems to be working for the most part. Therefore, the fear that employees, in this case forklift operators, have with the smoking in the workplace issue, the same fear must be instilled should they get caught speeding, or even not wearing their seatbelts, with the same consequences.

Unfortunately, management is more concerned about this smoking thing then they are about seatbelts, or speed.

joseph_h,
sorry for not responding earlier. Have been busy. The speed limit in my warehouse is 10km/h. I cannot fully agree that looking at the speedometer would pose a safety hazard unless his is constantly focussing on it. Similar to when we drive cars. And when travelling backwards with load, it is unlikely they would speed. But we still need it, otherwise, they would say "you tell me not drive faster than 10 kmh but how would I know how fast I am driving??!"

dan_m,
It is not easy to just tell all the forklift drivers to slow down. How many would listen? If only people would listen and observe safety rules, then we would not need to install safety devices like sensors etc etc..


Anyway, just saw this discussion thread, talking about speed limiting in Forkliftaction.com forum. Check under 'Lifting Machines'

"....discussion_667.htm"

With speedshield you can have different speed zones set up aswell as no go zones and invest that slows the units speed when it comes with in a set distance of a person wearing special safety vest , while still giving you full power when lifting.It also has a number of driver checking options from brake pressure to impact register so drivers who are involved in accidents can be identified

Speed control must be taken out of the operator's decsion making process - remember these are the sme people we drive to work with every day. They all have speed odometers and posted limits but my observations that a great numberof drivers of forklfits and auto exhibit these following traits:

1. One of a NASCAR driver wanabee
2. That "No Rules" bumper sticker is a real life style.

Just drive around Atlanta, GA for an hour or two. 285 is just a practice track for the wanabees of NASCAR.

Clark Material Handling has top travel speed control option a standard price book option. For all engine powered trucks from 3 to 15,000 lbs. Customers can select reduced maximum travel speeds in 1 MPH increments from 5 to 8 MPH. This option does not reduce hydraulic system performance as is the case when the governors were adjusted to reduce top engine speeds.

And most electric trucks including walke behind, today, except those with SCR controllers, top travel speeds can be lowered readily with a handset or lap top software.

Being a former rep for a manufacturer who has had speedometers on their electric equipment for some 15 years, it has it's pros and cons. In a warehouse invironment, if one operator has a lift that "registers" a mph more than someone else, the other operators complain. On the older IC equipment the only way to limit the travel speed is to limit the engine RPM via the air governor, This does limit the power of the unit to climb grades and limits the lift speed. It CAN even cause an overheating problem in some operations.

The best way to control the maximum speed is a system that has a VSS, vehicle speed sensor. It would have a "pickup" on the differential ring gear, transmission or torque converter. One of the units mentioned in previous posts may do this. GOOD LUCK!

I would like to see speedometers on lift trucks. Speed limit controls are useful but tend to just have one setting (with the exception of man-up and wire guided vehicles that may have multiple settings). The reality is different areas of your facility likely have a need for different speed limits so using a limiter switch only works for the fastest area (which is still worthwhile). It would be useful to give the operators guidelines such as X mph for racked storage areas, X mph for the dock area, and X mph for the main travel aisles. Currently we sometimes try to do this, but the operator really doesn't know what his speed is so he is estimating. Speedometers would make it obvious. The biggest downside to speedometers would be that we don't want lift truck operators staring down at the dashboard while they are driving. I see the speedometer of greater use during training when you can more precisely describe what "too fast" is.

Certainly the operators still need to use judgment based upon the specific load, traffic conditions, and other variables. So the operator may need to go slower than the limit established, but he should never go over the limit set. Essentially the same thing we do in our cars every day (well, some of us).

The only way to control the speed of a forklift is to limit the forklift via a speed limiter device. As we all know forklift drivers seem to leave their brains at home when they hop on a forklift and comapnies cannot rely on the driver to do the right thing. In Australia there is a company that not only install a speed limiter but they install a speedo so the driver can see how fast he is going. they have a site at www.waresafety.com.au

Lots of the newer electrics do have speed readings and can be set up to limit speed. I think they would be good on IC lifts as well but I have not seen any on them. The new IC lifts are programmable and speed should not be as big an issue. Speed is definately a problem but imposing a one speed limit such as 5mph when the operator does not know how fast they are going does little to help in my opinion. You must find a way to quantify what a certain speed looks and feels like to get the point across (fast walk) and even that is difficult. Playing with the engine speed can cause all types of other issues so I don't recommed that unless a dealer for that brand of lift does the work.

The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in Victoria, Australia stands at the world forefront in investigating the physics of forklift safety. Worksafe Victoria has published several of the university's findings in a 20 page publication (2nd edition - February 2006) titled Forklift Safety Reducing the Risk.

The whole publication is very well done and very informative. Chapter 3, however, Speed and Braking, should be read by those concerned about forklift speed. Special attention should be given to the forklift stopping distance table presented.

Those not familiar with the metric system (like me) will have the opportunity to use the new unit converter feature recently enacted by Forkliftaction.com. (Thanks staff, this feature makes converting so much easier!)

To download a copy of the publication, Google: FORKLIFT SAFETY REDUCING THE RISK

Worksafe Victoria also has several other excellent publications regarding forklift safety. Some of these other publication links will also pop up under the above Google search.