Can You Afford Not To Install Forklift Safety Barriers?

Forklift Safety Barriers

Workplaces can be incredibly dangerous environments, especially when they’re in areas where pedestrians and moving vehicles work alongside each other, for example, in warehouses. This is the reason why, when you’re looking to protect your workforce and prevent expensive damage, it’s crucial to have forklift safety barriers on site.

In a warehouse, workplace safety is paramount. Risk assessments and the safety rules and regulations which follow, must always be adhered to.

Accidents and injuries which occur in a warehouse, can not only lead to a reduced workforce and potential costly litigation, when injury occurs, but also damage to stock, shelving and equipment. All can affect productivity – and therefore profit margins.

Types of forklift accidents which occur in warehouses

Without forklift safety barriers in place, forklift accidents can also be among the most serious that occur in a warehouse, due to the forklift size, weight and the fact that they can move relatively fast while in close proximity to pedestrians.

Accidents which involve an out of control forklift in a warehouse might include the following:

  • Collision with a pedestrian/ worker, causing serious injury
  • Bumps with shelving or racking, causing it to be damaged or collapse entirely
  • Accidents with other forklifts
  • Collision with warehouse walls and supporting structures which compromises the safety of the building
  • Impacts with stock, causing costly breakages and damage
  • Collision with another vehicle, such as a lorry which is delivering stock to the warehouse

One way to help ensure these types of incidents don’t occur, is through marking out the specific areas where vehicles and pedestrians can go, through signs and painted lines.

When these regulations are adhered to, it should offer a certain degree of protection from collisions. But there’s also the need to factor in human error.

What happens if the driver loses concentration for a few seconds, becomes suddenly unwell, loses consciousness, or is under the influence of drugs or alcohol? It’s at this point that this heavy moving vehicle becomes out of control and without forklift safety barriers in place, there is nothing to stop it from causing carnage.

Forklift safety barriers to rely on

Other accidents to be potentially aware of are when a forklift has been overloaded and stock falls while the vehicle is in motion, or even worse, the forklift tips over.

This sort of issue can be avoided by the establishment of proper guidelines. Yet it’s important to bear in mind that, while drivers must always be properly trained in operating a forklift safely, and get regular refresher courses, there’s nothing to say that events which can’t be planned for may well occur.

When they do, forklift safety barriers and guardrails (learn more) can act as a solid protective barrier to stop the forklift in its tracks, completely removing the risk of damage to anything which lies beyond it. It means peace of mind at the very best and protection from costly damage and loss of life at the worst.

So the question to ask of any warehouse manager is, can you afford not to install forklift safety barriers?

At Armco Direct, we offer all kinds of forklift safety barriers for installation in warehouses and other areas where there is risk of collision with moving vehicles.

To find out more about our range of safety barriers and products, get help and advice, or place an order for your forklift safety barriers, get in touch with a member of the team today.