66 | Sector Focus: Handling & Storage
◄ In materials handling operations, such as wood production or storage facilities using forklifts and industrial trucks, safe practices involve multiple layers of application, from truck and machinery operations to employee and visitor conduct. And, although every environment has unique challenges, consistent safety standards should be woven into every facet of business. Many associations have established specific weeks or days to raise awareness of safe practices when it comes to materials handling. But safety cannot be confined to a particular day or month.
For many organisations in the timber industry, a shift may be needed towards a culture where safety is everyone’s job and should extend across operations and the supply chain.
When assessing the various levels of risk mitigation and elimination, comprehensive occupational safety involves a “hierarchy of controls”, which includes engineering, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
ENGINEERING
The foundation of safety is established with years of engineering work and lab testing. In fact, Hyster has a long association with the wood industry having originally been a logging equipment manufacturer in the 1920s. So, whether it’s for a facility or an industrial truck, the Hyster engineering experts understand that risk reduction must be inherently designed in.
Top: Rob O’Donoghue: “Running safe operations is
a priority in all stages of the wood industry life cycle” Centre: Hyster’s Dynamic Pedestrian Awareness Light
Bottom: The patent-pending Reverse Speed System is available for selected Hyster lift trucks TTJ | November/December 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
When forklift operations are assessed, people typically look at efficiency, handling capacity and so on. However, engineering has developed a vastly different forklift over the past 50 years. It’s not only more efficient but also more comfortable and markedly safer. Many of these engineered safety features are taken for granted, for example, overhead guards and seat belts. Once not understood as necessary at all, overhead guards today are designed with strength and rigidity to protect operators from falling objects, while allowing for crucial visibility. In today’s wood industry, operators are extremely influential in the decision making process and safety and driver ergonomics are key. Advances in ergonomics have positively impacted operator safety. Operator Assistance Systems (OAS) and engineered comfort allow for operators to sit in a truck for six, seven, or 10 hours without the pain or injury issues of the past. Ergonomically designed lumbar support, padding, reachable controls, and visibility have helped improve operator safety. Improving awareness of forklift truck drivers, and pedestrians working nearby, may also help reduce incidents. While Hyster trucks are designed as standard with operator awareness and visibility in mind, now businesses can further customise their
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