Posted: October 2019
Incidents on industrial premises involving forklift trucks are unfortunately a common occurrence. Speeding, driving with an elevated load, improper procedure with regard to reversing, turning or braking, uneven or insecure loading and lack of communication on the factory floor can all result in injury or even death.
OSHA estimates forklifts cause about 85 fatal accidents per year; 34,900 accidents result in serious injury; and 81,8000 are classified as non-serious. According to the Industrial Truck Association, there are about 855,900 forklifts in the US. Therefore over 11% of all forklifts will be involved in some type of accident each year. Studies show that many of these accidents could have been prevented with proper training.
Many incidents involve employees who have unwittingly strayed into the path of a forklift, and the financial cost of vehicle and property damage and downtime for injured employees, as well as legal and emotional costs where personal injury is involved, can be significant.
As a result, white noise reversing alarms are fast becoming an essential piece of equipment for onsite industrial vehicles such as forklift trucks, as well as dump trucks, telehandlers, diggers and excavators, where operator positions, bulkheads and restricted rear views can limit driver visibility.
Brigade’s bbs-tek® White Sound reversing alarms enable forklift drivers and operators to maneuver and drive more safely by using a wide range of White Sound® frequencies, which enable the listener to instantly locate which direction the sound is coming from. The broadband sound also gives workers wearing hearing protection devices (HPDs) and people with hearing difficulties a better chance of hearing the alarm. In addition, the alarm gives out a ‘ssh-ssh’ sound which is gentle on the ear and dissipates quickly, meaning it can only be heard in the danger zone.
Here at Brigade, our priority has always been the wellbeing of your employees. Make your premises a safer place to work by getting in touch and finding out how our products can help.
