FEATURE LIFT TRUCKS COLLISION-FREE ZONE
With operators of MHE working to meet delivery targets in the increasingly hectic warehouse Charlie Brackley of Harland Simon looks at how the latest technology can prevent collisions
can be both an audible and visual signal. Configurable parameters can be set and adjusted, creating a safe zone around a person or object, determined by their speed or even the stopping distance of an MHE. This technology can establish ‘pairing’
between a driver and their vehicle. When a driver leaves their MHE both person and vehicle are recognised as an individual entity so the distinction is made that this is their own truck and provides no danger while stationary. Location Aware Technology is as much about captured data and subsequent analysis as it is the recognition of imminent risk, showing the best way to make further improvements to safety while educating staff on their behaviour. This information can be used to shape
T
here has long been an identifiable code of safety for both pedestrians
and forklift truck drivers within the warehouse setting with guard rails, safety lines, hi-vis jackets and more recently proximity sensors helping to control both human and vehicular traffic. With an estimated 800 accidents
involving an MHE collision in the UK every year¹ and seven reported fatalities during 2011² every effort must be made to reduce that number to zero.
INCREASING AWARENESS OF HIDDEN DANGERS Even with many precautions being observed MHE drivers still have several blind spots and points of limited vision. No matter what precautions are generally agreed an MHE driver requires a degree of awareness that a pedestrian may have strayed too close to the path of the forklift truck. It’s the site of these blind spots that can cause difficulties including the driver’s view being obstructed by large loads. This leads to a situation of driving in reverse while looking over their shoulder with a potentially hazardous blind spot being created over the other. While driver and pedestrian should both be aware of their surroundings the former is more likely to have a better understanding of layout, obstacles, procedure and changes in where items are situated than somebody on foot. In addition, an MHE driver is more focused
S8 MAY/JUNE 2015 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS
on delivery targets and load stability than of pedestrians which may increase the chance of a collision. Proximity sensors can reduce the chance of a collision. Attached to the MHE, these give off a signal when an ‘entity’ (a person or other MHE) is detected. While the sensor can recognise an entity it is unable to tell if that individual is safe behind a guard rail. This can either result in unnecessary
panic as a result of false alarms or create complacency on the part of a driver who believes all is safe when that is not always the case. This can be compared to an over-sensitive car or house alarm which when heard too often becomes a background sound. In the warehouse and logistics setting there is no option to simply ignore this risk.
LOCATION AWARE TECHNOLOGY A more foolproof alternative to the proximity sensor and a better way to protect people in the warehouse is the adaptation of intelligent Wi-Fi: an element of the Location Aware Technology offered by Harland Simon as part of the Vero suite of warehouse solutions. Wi-Fi can accurately detect and capture the speed and position of moving people and MHEs and separate these from static items including guard rails, racking and aisles. An alarm is only triggered in the event of a legitimately hazardous event and
Wi-Fi can accurately detect and capture the speed and position of moving people and MHEs and separate these from static items including guard rails, racking and aisles
more strategic decisions such as changes to warehouse and logistics design. The outcome is not just a safer workplace but a more profitable one if changes to layout and the order of processes lead to a more productive environment. The essential Location Aware Technology features checklist is as follows: ● People and forklift trucks can be tracked over large distances; ● Sub-metre accuracy of every tracked element; ● Resistant to interference from reflected signals and obstructions; ● Works well both indoors and outdoors, even in congested areas; ● Extensive connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee. The safety and wellbeing of all those in
close proximity to forklift trucks is paramount and Location Aware Technology is a great way of ensuring this. Delivering a clear picture of who and what is on the move together with the accurate data to support this is the best way of safeguarding staff on the warehouse floor as well as peace of mind for those in charge of it.
References: 1. National Forklift Truck Safety Week PDF:
http://fork-truck.org.uk/uploads 2. HSE, Workplace Transport in Great Britain:
www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/workplace- transport.pdf
Harland Simon T: 01908 276700
www.harlandsimon.com
Enter 304 / MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56