There are several easily actionable and practical measures that can be taken to enhance staff welfare and maintain lift truck efficiency during the winter months, says Toyota Material Handling.
Cold, wet and windy weather can be challenging for employees that spend part or all of their time working outside.
Routine tasks such as loading or unloading wagons become considerably less straightforward in wintry conditions.
And with climate change likely to bring ever more extreme meteorological events it is becoming increasingly necessary to take steps to ‘winter proof’ material handling operations.
By adopting a proactive approach, it is possible to mitigate against the impact of adverse weather to ensure that both materials handling equipment (MHE) and workers remain safe and productive throughout the winter season.
There are several easily actionable and practical measures that can be taken to enhance staff welfare and maintain forklift efficiency during the winter. They include:
The right tyres are always essential if optimum forklift productivity and safety are going to be achieved but, when it is cold and wet, the wheel casing that you choose for your MHE becomes even more critical.
Because they do not puncture, solid pneumatic tyres withstand the impact of the loose debris that builds up at this time of year, which makes them ideal for winter conditions.
Air filled pneumatic tyres with large treads should be considered if trucks are likely to work in snow and ice. It’s also important to check that your tyres have enough tread to maintain grip on slippery terrain.
As temperatures approach freezing, snow and ice reduce grip on roads and driveways. Winter is also the time where potholes are likely to appear in the surface of outdoor spaces where trucks operate.
It’s important to identify any risk areas on your premises that are particularly affected by winter weather – these are usually large areas such as car parks, entrances, slopes and walkways.
Any potholes that form over the winter should be repaired as soon as possible to limit potential damage to the axle and tyres of your trucks.
Correct maintenance of your forklift batteries is a crucial part of prolonging battery life throughout the year but in winter neglecting key checks can quickly have a negative impact on a lift truck’s performance.
Maintaining proper water levels in lead acid batteries and limiting exposure to cold weather as much as possible are two general rules for electric forklifts.
Cold weather can greatly reduce battery life and battery run time so you should prepare for how this might affect your productivity ahead of time.
Consider your battery charging options – you might want to think about increasing the number of batteries that you have on-hand to help reduce potential downtime.
In areas where forklifts and pedestrians mix, good lighting is especially important during winter months. Check that outside spaces are well-lit – not only in the evenings when darkness falls quickly but also in the early morning gloom so potential hazards are visible.
Forklift lights serve as a warning system to prevent accidents and give drivers better visibility. When truck operators can drive safely and with confidence outdoor productivity levels remain high - even during the winter when daylight hours are short.
Additional work or warning lights for forklifts can be easily and inexpensively retrofitted if they’re required. Toyota offer a large choice of lighting with different functionality and levels of brightness. They are designed to be durable and reliable even in the most intensive operations.
If your operation involves working outside, the chances are that wintery conditions are going to affect you significantly at some point so gaining an understanding of how severe weather could impact upon what you do is essential.
Managers should consider the type of hazards and concerns that a prolonged period of freezing temperatures would bring to their site and their employees.
It could be worth considering additional training so that forklift operators are confident driving in cold, wet, snowy, and icy conditions and ensuring that they have appropriate workwear to operate in freezing conditions.