Did you know that more than 40% of all forklift fatalities are caused by an individual being struck—or run over—by a forklift?  According to OSHA, forklift accidents account for 61,800 minor injuries, 34,900 serious injuries, and 85 deaths every year.

The Danger of Warehouse Intersections

Today, forklift drivers are under pressure to work faster and get more orders out the door—causing many to ignore safety procedures.  This has created a dangerous situation at warehouse facilities, where pedestrians and forklifts share the same space.

“There are so many pedestrian/work truck accidents, and the number grows every year,” said Brandon Gentile, the Customer Service Manager for Collision Awareness.  “It’s scary when you walk through an intersection at a warehouse, and a forklift comes flying by.  That forklift weighs 10,000 lbs., and even though it only moves at 5 mph, it could easily kill a pedestrian in a collision.”

Now, there’s an easy way to create awareness for fork truck drivers and reduce exposure to liabilities—using Collision Awareness products.

What Are “Collision Awareness” Products?

Collision Awareness products are like traffic lights for your warehouse.  They keep workers safe by alerting them to potential accidents—before they happen.

These unique systems use flashing bursts of light to notify pedestrians and drivers of possible collisions before they enter a busy intersection—protecting lives, reducing injuries, and reducing worker’s comp lawsuits.

“We want our products to be visible, reliable, and reduce the number of accidents in industrial facilities every year,” Gentile said.  “Every company is concerned about safety and employees getting hurt.  We wear hard hats and safety vests in a warehouse.  Why wouldn’t we want to protect our employees from forklift accidents?”

How Collision Awareness Products Work

When a pedestrian approaches an intersection, a flashing light alerts the driver that a collision is about to occur.  The products work indoors and outdoors, and are easy to install.  No reflectors or expensive microwave sensors are required.

“The goal was to make these products as simple as possible to use and install,” Gentile said.  “We’ve provided an ‘out of the box’ solution that offers a fast fix to unguarded intersections.  Plus, they last a long time,” adding that the LED lights have a 100,000-hour guarantee.

Types of Collision Awareness Products Available

Gentile’s company produces a wide variety of Collision Awareness products designed for overall warehouse safety, including:

• Lookout Units—monitor 2-, 3-, and 4-way intersections by alerting people to traffic just around the corner
• Door Monitor Packages—alert forklift drivers that a pedestrian is walking through the doorway
• Overhead Door Packages—keep high-speed interior doorways safe
• “Fit” Packages—alert forklift drivers of overhead obstacles that are in the way of an elevated mast
• Floor Bursts—light up the floor when drivers/employees are distracted or looking down, providing extra avoidance protection
• Dock Watcher—monitors up to 4 dock doors to warn operators and pedestrians of vehicles pulling out
• Traffic Alerts—detect unwanted traffic behind a building, especially at night

Get collision awareness products

Contact Gary Porter, the Safety/Warehouse Equipment Group Director at IBT Industrial Solutions, at (913) 261-2143, or gporter@ibtinc.com.