Interested to add a personnel carrier to your equipment fleet? ProLift can help! REQUEST QUOTE
Pedestrian interaction with material handling equipment traffic is one of the most dangerous situations in a manufacturing, warehousing or distribution environment. Without protected walkways it is difficult for operators to visually locate pedestrians. Personnel carriers can not only increase the safe transport of employees but it can also increase their productivity.
Forklift Pedestrian Safety
Forklift fatality statistics teach us an operator is more likely to kill a pedestrian than themselves in an accident. Putting an employee in a personnel carrier with running lights or a flashing beacon and horn reduces pedestrian traffic and risk of injury. Visibility of personnel is also increased while riding on this equipment.
Operator Productivity
An employee only has so many hours to accomplish work each day. Minutes wasted on walking cuts into the time they have to do other tasks. The employee may rush throughout the day, taking shortcuts in the facility instead of staying in marked-off walkways.
Additionally a person may think, “If I do this the safe way, it will slow me down.” For example, if a maintenance worker needs a tool to safely finish a repair, he may decide not to walk back to the shop to find it. Instead, he will use tools he has on-hand to finish the job which may result in an injury.
The right machine for the job is as important to safety as it is to productivity, customer satisfaction and reliability. Ask these 8 questions when considering a personnel carrier for your facility:
- What distances do you need to travel?
- How many trips through the facility do you expect to make with the equipment per shift?
- Will you need to travel outside, even when it rains or is dark?
- Do you have grades or rough areas to travel?
- How tight are areas you must maneuver?
- Will you need to carry materials or tools? If yes, what is the combined weight of the load and personnel?
- How big are the materials you need to move?
- Will you need to tow product?
A personnel carrier may be seen as a luxury item for the warehouse; however, it can reclaim production time lost during walking through the facility. It also decreases the risk of workplace accidents or injuries.
Interested in learning more about personnel carriers? ProLift has partnered with Taylor-Dunn, providing many unique units and customization for special applications. Contact us to speak to an equipment specialist!
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