Safety is the number one priority when working with any equipment, especially with forklifts. Forklifts are often used to move shipping containers. This machinery poses safety threats even to properly-trained OSHA-certified operators. Accidents happen regardless of whether the driver has their certification. According to Industrial Safety and Hygiene News,
“Forklifts can easily topple, fall off edges, or knock smaller items around.”
Forklift accidents happen at the epicenter for shipping container movement: the loading dock.
Forklifts are commonly used at loading docks to help move shipping containers and other materials. Shipping containers can range in size and weight; if a shipping container is too heavy or too long for the forklift, it may fall over. Such an accident could result in the driver being injured or even killed. According to McCue Corporation, forklifts can weigh “…up to 9,000 pounds, which is three times heavier than many cars.” To put this in perspective, an adult male Asian Elephant weighs on average 8,800 pounds. A forklift falling over is roughly equivalent to an adult elephant falling on someone.
Visibility is another challenge with forklifts.
When a shipping container is in front of the driver, it can be hard to see the edge of the loading dock. Due to the bad visibility, the driver could drive the forklift off the four-foot ledge. According to a 2007 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study,
“each year over 94,750 Americans are injured by forklifts. A study of forklift-related deaths in the years 1980 to 1994 showed that 7% of forklift-related deaths were caused by a forklift falling off the loading dock.”
Forklifts are not the only way to handle shipping containers.
There are safer alternatives like QuickLoadz. QuickLoadz is an excellent container moving system that can replace or aid the use of forklifts when unloading shipping containers. Our truck and trailer beds tilt back, the built-in chain drive pushes the container off the bed and two lift wedges gently lower it onto the ground. It is a simple three-step process that has easy training.
QuickLoadz takes safety very seriously and wants everyone moving shipping containers to do it in the safest manner. The driver can sit safely in the truck bed to move the container. QuickLoadz has a built-in rear-view camera standard on across all models. This feature helps the driver see where they are loading and unloading the container. All of these features can improve safety and efficiency in the workplace.
Why should you care?
Using a QuickLoadz, companies can lower the number of forklift accidents and deaths that happen each year. Rather than unload at a loading dock, a dangerous system, one can use a QuickLoadz to unload the container to ground level—a much safer place for a forklift to unload the cargo.
A QuickLoadz can load and unload a shipping container in three minutes. Forklift accidents cost many companies time and money because workers having to take time off work for their injuries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
“Forklifts were involved in 9,050 nonfatal workplace injuries or illnesses with days away from work in 2017. These cases resulted in workers taking a median of 13 days away from work, higher than the median of 8 days for all cases.”
Using a QuickLoadz instead of (or with) a forklift can save companies time and money—not only by moving containers but by reducing Worker’s Compensation claims. QuickLoadz is a vital resource for companies to utilize.
