Electric forklifts can improve a warehouse's operations by reducing carbon emissions and lowering noise in the facility. However, like any other piece of material handling equipment, electric lift trucks come with some risks.
Forklift batteries are designed to last for one shift, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After that, spent batteries should receive a charge for the next shift or possibly overnight. When it's time for a charge or a change, only a trained professional should handle the battery or operate the charging station. Some of the potential hazards include:
If your forklift battery charging station safety could use a tune-up, consider making these adjustments:
To prevent accidents from happening, it's best to sequester charging and discharged batteries from general warehouse traffic. Since charging batteries are fire hazards, even a small spark can cause a lot of damage. Additionally, acid spills can do much more harm when they're near other equipment, inventory and employees.
Battery rooms should be designed to reduce these hazards. Guardrails or other barriers that are visible and strong enough to withstand impact should be installed around battery handling equipment. Floors should be flat and acid-resistant. Finally, the room should be well ventilated to reduce the buildup of dangerous fumes.
Facilities should always be equipped with the right safety devices to protect workers from risks. This is critically important in the battery changing area. Here are some types of equipment needed to reduce four major risks associated with forklift batteries listed above:
Concentric has dedicated technicians who integrate into your workplace to handle some of your most important forklift safety tasks. Forklifts and their charging stations require regular maintenance and inspections. Additionally, forklift batteries should be handled only by people with the proper training. To find out how an embedded technician can benefit your facility, reach out to Concentric.