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Anyone with great ideas on how to prevent accidental damages by fork prongs when an operator handles cargo?

Here I am referring to the process of either stacking cargo together or taking them out. Sometimes, the operator may misjudge the depth of the cargo and would insert the fork too deep into the fork tynes/slots of the pallet skid and puncture the adjacent cargo. I have been tasked to find a solution to this.

I know that the operator should exercise care in forking in the first place and not simply 'jab' in the forks.
And it would help if there was a marshaller to guide but the reality of the situation on the shopfloor is that:

- not all operators are skilled
- not all are careful (some are just simply reckless)
- the limited manpower resource simply does not allow one the 'luxury of having another person to be a marshaller

While we can try to tackle each case by having better training, better policing and disciplining of operator, campaigns to encourage better driving, etc etc, it is still subject to human behavior.

So, people try to turn to technical solutions with the hope that it would be 'idiot-proof'. I have been tasked to find such solutions. Some have suggested painting some markers on the fork to guide the operator, some suggesting the use of electric pallet trucks instead.

So I am hoping to get some tested solutions from anyone to the issue I am faced with.

Anyone??
  • Posted 12 Nov 2007 13:41
  • By chewingyu
  • joined 28 Oct'05 - 73 messages
  • Singapore, Singapore

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Manufacturer of Lift Truck Attachments, Forks and Lift Tables, with the most extensive range in the market.
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