Canada-based Flow-Rite Safety Solutions has introduced Crossing Guard, a product which it claims is the only forklift collision awareness system that requires the detection of two separate motions to trigger an alarm.

Flow-Rite said by requiring two inputs, Crossing Guard will significantly reduce the occurrence of nuisance alarms. The system, unveiled at MODEX 2012, a new expo for the manufacturing, distribution and supply chain industries, also detects the presence of motionless individuals, which directly addresses a common cause of forklift accidents and fatalities.

Dave Klumb, Flow-Rite Safety Solutions vice-president of sales and marketing, said: "When we designed this product, we wanted to take the error out of human error.

"Unfortunately, as safety managers and industrial hygiene experts know, forklift operators and employees that routinely walk through a manufacturing plant or distribution center often become immune to warning systems that frequently sound false alarms. Also, there’s no widely used system that detects a person who is standing still and obscured from the forklift operator’s vision. Crossing Guard solves both problems, and it does so in an affordable, reliable, robust system. We’re confident that it will someday save a life."

Crossing Guard monitors a definable detection area with four adjustable sensors that completely cover the risk area. Depending on the location, sensors can be infrared and/or ultrasonic. In production pick up areas and other locations where infrared may be impractical, an optional weight-sensitive sensor model is available.

All models sound an audible alarm coupled with a highintensity LED alarms light. The system uses a microprocessor that can collect and save sensor activities, aiding the investigation of an occurrence. This may result in additional training, changes in procedure and possibly a rearrangement of stored product to reduce collision potential.

Industrial strength magnetic barriers to improve forklift safety
In the UK safety barrier manufacturer Tensator has announced it too is focusing on reducing the number of accidents involving forklift trucks.

The company is introducing a special safety barrier specifically designed for when forklift trucks are being operated.

The announcement follows concerns that in the UK the number of forklift truckrelated injuries are increasing.

Figures from the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in August 2012, revealed a 4% rise in serious forklift truck accidents during 2010/11, following a two-year decline in accidents requiring hospitalisation, like amputations, dislocations and long-bone fractures.

Furthermore, they now account for more than a fifth of non-fatal workplace transport related injuries.

Tensator said it plans to improve these figures by introducing a new industrial strength magnetic barrier designed specifically for providing a safe working environment when forklifts are in operation.

Three industrial strength permadur magnets enable the barrier unit to be attached onto the back of any forklift truck. As the forklift driver heads into an aisle to load or unload material, the driver stops, detaches the magnetic barrier units from the back of the truck and attaches to the racking at both ends of the aisle.

They then pull the retractable webbing, which is printed with a specific safety message such as ‘Do Not Enter’ and attaches to the racking opposite, enabling the employee to safely carry out the task that is at hand.

Once the job is completed, the driver places the magnetic mounts back on the forklift truck and moves on.

The electric Versa-Lift 40/60E
Versa-Lift in Kansas has raised the forklift bar with its Model 40/60E electric forklift.

Like all Versa-Lift forklifts, the 40/60E comes with hydrostatic drive for precisely controlled movements.

However, unike other electric forklifts, this battery powered model also comes with an onboard charger so that the E can be charged in the field.

Versa-Lift describes the 40/60E as a battery powered model for any company that is looking into the future.

"We are actually there now, with most industrial plants preferring electric fork lifts. The 40/60E has a hydrostatic transmission just like our internal combustion models and is cable climb the same slopes. This is the ultimate rigging machine."

The 40/60E also comes with an 80 volt AC motor, 2-speed hydrostatic transmission and a planetary drive axle.

Around the Warehouse: The forklift truck
The forklift truck has been around for just under a hundred years. But in that time it has become a familiar fixture in every warehouse operation around the world.

Originally created as a result of the manpower shortages caused by the First World War, the forklift truck has evolved from being a simple tractor with an attachment to a dedicated machine with a vertical lifting mast.

Development of the forklift advanced with the outbreak of the Second World War. In the early 1940’s the forklift played a critical part in the handling of materials for armies throughout the world. At this time the introduction of the wooden pallet solidified the need for the forklift in material handling.

Today there are no less than seven classes of forklift that describe the fuel option of the forklift and its use.

In this issue of Hoist’s Around The Warehouse, we examine innovations in forklift technology that are shaping the future of this versatile vehicle that has become an essential part of warehouse efficiency.

3D Forklift Trainer
Virtual reality firm, Tactus Technologies, has developed a 3D training program for forklift operators that the company hopes will reduce injuries and deaths associated with forklift accidents.

The 3D Forklift Trainer, funded through a grant from the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), allows operators to practice handling a variety of safety challenges on a system similar to a video game.

The trainer, which includes a steering wheel, joystick, and pedals, is run inside virtual warehouses, elevators, and other settings.

New York-based Tactus Technologies is a spinoff company of the University of Buffalo.

Explaining the concept behind the 3D Forklift Trainer, a statement on the company website said: "3D Forklift radically improves safety and reduces training duration by using virtual reality technology.

"The specific goal is to significantly reduce the injury rate caused by forklift accidents through an intuitive, low cost training platform that gives forklift operators the opportunity to study operating safety standards, rehearse them, and then be tested and evaluated on their understanding of them. This constructive and active cognitive experience of operating a forklift, cannot be attained using video tapes or other training materials currently on the market."

Thenkurussi "Kesh" Kesavadas, cofounder of the company and UB professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, told reporters: "Until recently, such virtual reality technologies were only available to military and university laboratories.

By pioneering the use of gaming technology and computers in our software, we are able to offer the 3D forklift simulator at a low and reasonable cost for industrial safety training."

The company’s other co-founder and CEO, Jim Mayrose, said VR training has a key advantage over traditional forklift training, which includes classroom instruction, videos, and observation before operators get behind the wheel to learn on the job.

"The problem is that this type of training is passive rather than interactive," Mayrose said. "Companies using our product will find that they have shorter training cycles with less supervision needed and, most importantly, a safer environment."

On average, it takes three to four hours to complete the simulator program.