TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH & SAFETY
A SMARTER APPROACH TO SAFETY
When we talk about technology in the context of intralogistics, the focus very often centres on improving operational efficiencies or predicting market trends but there is another critical area where it can have a major impact - safety.
Whether it’s using AI to keep a watchful, digital eye in warehouse environments or deploying next- generation radar detection systems to minimise collisions, it is clear that evolving tech can and must be used to reduce risks to personnel, products, racking and expensive equipment.
To capitalise on this golden opportunity, we first need understand how to maximise the safety potential of breakthrough developments – including artificial intelligence, automation and early warning systems - as well as any new challenges these technologies might introduce and why players in intralogistics must invest in creating a safer industry.
SENSING DANGER To effectively eliminate blind spots and enhance safety, intralogistics leaders continue to invest in complex early warning systems which identify and sound the alarm on any potential accidents.
Linde Material Handling, for instance, has developed a ‘Safety Guard’ assistance system, which can also be used to establish speed control zones which slow vehicles down as they approach high-risk junctions.
Recognising that a huge proportion of accidents happen when vehicles are reversing, Linde has also rolled out a radar system which detects obstructions behind forklifts and automatically activates the brake if there are any hazards.
PRE-EMPTION AND PREVENTION Artificial intelligence is heralded as the ‘next big thing’ not just in the intralogistics sector, but across countless industries and while this technology presents an immense opportunity to optimise safety in warehouses, there is a long way to go before it can realise its full potential.
The effectiveness of AI relies significantly on how much information you can give it. The more data it has, the wider it’s ‘knowledge base’ and the better it can become at recognising and flagging up potential risks.
One example of how we could use this burgeoning tech to better protect operators is by having it identify any blind spots or ‘danger zones’ in the warehouse – but to achieve this you would first need to feed it video footage or data gathered from sensors.
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How can evolving technologies deliver major safety wins for the intralogistics sector, asks Gavin Carslake, Project Manager for Safety Solutions with Linde Material Handling.
ADAPTING TO AUTOMATION There is an increasing trend towards ‘smart’ facilities in the sector and, as the popularity and prevalence of automation continues to grow, we need to think carefully about how operators and machines can safely co-exist.
As part of an expert report, produced by Linde, RTITB Managing Director Laura Nelson said machines and systems can sometimes go wrong so we must not make the presumption that, just because a warehouse function is automated, we don’t need to deliver training to workers.
She also highlighted generational challenges, saying older operators may be suspicious of new tech, while younger operators may take unsafe action due to over-confidence.
THE HUMAN ELEMENT While evolving technologies have the potential to reduce risks in the warehouse environment, it is critical that operators remain vigilant, continue to be cautious and stay aware of their surroundings.
What we don’t want to happen is for humans to rely too heavily on the systems that are put in place and grow complacent – this is a danger in itself and can’t be allowed to happen on the journey to a more advanced sector.
Equally, businesses in the intralogistics space need to recognise that people ‘expect to be safe in the workplace’ – this was a key point made by UK Warehousing Association Chief Executive Clare Bottle in the Linde whitepaper on ‘A Smarter Approach to Safety in the High-Tech Warehouse’.
Clare explained that people don’t want to work for companies that don’t make their wellbeing a priority, so companies are having to continue to invest in safety if they want to win the ‘war for talent’.
A SHIFT IN CULTURE The evolving role of technology in the intralogistics sphere is going to require a major mindset and culture shift and there will doubtlessly be hurdles as we continue to integrate AI, automation and other complex systems into the warehousing environment.
That said, there are also major victories to be won – not just in terms of safety, but across all operational areas – for those players who drive progress and can take advantage of new developments.
www.linde-mh.co.uk/en_uk/ 27
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