Three Categories Of Forklift Lights And Their Uses
Forklifts are helpful in various industries, including warehouses and other extensive storage facilities. It is a small industrial vehicle with a power-operated forked platform at its front, which you can raise or lower for lifting or moving cargo. They are essential for most material handling operations but can pose great danger to employees. Hence, it includes various safety devices to reduce injury rates and make workplaces safe. Some necessary forklift safety devices include brakes, seatbelts, overhead guards, horns, and forklift lights. Forklift lights are essential as forklift safety devices, which help forklift operators see their paths and indicate the presence of the vehicle to members in the vicinity, thus protecting them from possible injuries.
Besides brake lights and headlights, forklift safety lights may include directional lights, flashing warning lights, and blue safety lights. Forklift safety lights play a crucial role in all such storage spaces, both for pedestrians and operators. When switched on, it helps to prevent potentially dangerous collisions. A warehouse where these forklifts operate have many blind corners, where a pedestrian can fail to spot the forklift. Hence, the bright light (red or blue) behind or ahead of the forklift lets the pedestrians know about its presence. You can order a red zone forklift light which will help pedestrians in the vicinity know about your forklift’s presence and keep themselves safe. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the forklift operators should yield the right of way to pedestrians. Hence, it is essential for stakeholders operating a forklift to stay on alert. If their vision is obstructed, they must slow down and stop and sound the forklift horn at the intersections and corners. Besides adopting these safety practices, the operators can go a step ahead to incorporate safety lights in their forklift. Here are a few things you should know about forklift lights. Types Of Forklift Lights Forklift Headlights:
According to OSHA regulations, when general lighting is less than two lumens per square foot, one needs to provide an auxiliary light on the vehicle. That means, if there is poor lighting or you are operating the forklift at night, it must have headlights. This will help to increase forklift visibility in dimly lit areas to help pedestrians or other forklift operators sense the presence of the forklift.
Forklift Tail or Brake Lights: Forklifts are equipped with tail or brake lights beside the headlights. If the manufacturer does not equip your forklift with tail/brake lights, OSHA does not require you to embed these lights into your forklift. These lights on a forklift help to indicate that the vehicle is presently in use and improves its visibility from the rear. Tail or brake lights are beneficial in forklift operations in areas with high vehicle and foot traffic. It helps inform those behind a forklift to stay aware of the approaching forklift and enables them to stay safe. Forklift Strobe Lights, Blue Spotlights, And Red Side Pedestrian Lights: OSHA does not require you to add these lights. However, adding these lights to your forklift safety tools enables you to create a safe workplace. It functions as an approach or warning light.
When a forklift is in operation or reversing, the illumination of strobe lights serves as an additional visual indicator that the forklift is beginning its movement, changing speeds, or rapidly altering directions. It does use these in certain operations, and different strobe light configurations help augment safety in specific applications. Another optional safety forklift lights are blue pedestrian spotlights. It helps leverage safety in some environments. If blind intersections are prevalent in the path of a forklift operator, the blue light warns other operators and pedestrians within the environment that the forklift is approaching. You can mount the light on the front or back of the vehicle. It shines a bright blue beam pattern on the floor when the forklift is advancing.
The Red Side Pedestrian Light projects two red beams on each side of the forklift. It illuminates as lines to remind pedestrians to maintain a safe distance. The red alerting lines signal them to avoid the forklift. It displays a unique red arch on the floor at the forklift’s rear to keep pedestrians away. This zone is also known as the halo zone. It shows the NO GO AREA around the back of the forklift, which pedestrians must avoid. It lowers the chances of getting hit by the rear-end swing of a turning forklift. It helps pedestrians to prevent a collision, prevent foot injuries, and other potential accidents which may take place if the forklift operator fails to judge their path correctly. Strobe lights, red side pedestrian lights, and blue spotlights are suitable only for specific applications. You need to carefully assess your working environment and forklift operation to identify which of these lights you should embed in your forklift.
To Conclude: A significant percentage of forklift accidents involve a pedestrian. The installation of appropriate forklift lights can help the operator to safely operate the forklift and keep the pedestrians safe from any fatal injuries. Based on the intended use, you can choose the right forklift light to increase safety in forklift operation.
Source :-https://www.atoallinks.com/2021/three-categories-of-forkliftlights-and-their-uses/