Forklift accidents do occur, and can often be life threatening or even result in fatalities. Unfortunately accident figures haven’t seen any significant decline over recent years either.

In 2017, HSE stats showed that on average, 3.56 people were hospitalised daily as a result of injuries sustained from forklift accidents. Also, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that around 20% of all forklift accidents actually involved a pedestrian being hit by the truck.

The forklift and pedestrian problem

Pedestrians getting struck by forklifts is by far the biggest problem facing the industry, and often results in the most severe injuries or worse.

In fact, the number of accidents involving pedestrians is nearly five times greater than any other type of accident. This is often attributed to a lack of safety training but also a lack of general awareness in the workplace, where those struck by a forklift simply – didn’t see it coming.

Recently though a new development of forklift technology may prove to be the breakthrough the industry needs to improve the safety between forklifts and pedestrians.

An attention grabbing solution

FORKLIGHT has been specifically designed to combat the forklift and pedestrian accident problem. The UK design team behind it has conducted extensive research into the capacity of someone to notice certain stimulus, without actually looking for it.  

The result of this research has allowed for the creation of a low cost solution that can instantly attract a person’s attention and alert them to the presence of a forklift. It’s a new patented safety system, which will work through the deployment of robust, industry standard LED’s. These will be installed within a recess of the forklift forks.

It’s been speculated that this pioneering safety solution will be able to provide new levels of safety for operators of all types of forklift, and of course for those who happen to work within close proximity of them. Plus, the light safety system will be able to work effectively in both brightly lit production areas and dimly lit warehousing environments.

If you’re looking to purchase a new Forklift or used forklift then H&F Lift Trucks is here for you. Give us a call today on 0800 298 8790 for more information.