Forklifts and other types of heavy material handling equipment are essential to the success of many logistics, distribution, and supply chain operations. But they also introduce workplace hazards like collisions, tip-overs, and “struck-by” conditions, which is why it’s important for employees to follow proper safety measures at all times. Employees in those operations know that staying safe on the job is even more important than staying productive.
While some safety tips may seem obvious, it’s the small details that go a long way in keeping employees safe throughout a shift. Here are a few common safety-related questions, along with answers that will provide crews with important safety tips and insights on how propane-powered equipment can enhance workplace safety:
Q: What are some basic forklift safety practices that tend to get overlooked?
Complete a routine equipment check before operating.Any damage or problems should be reported to management, and the forklift should not be operated if it needs to be repaired.
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Hard hats, protective footwear, high-visibility clothing, and other PPE, as provided by the employer, are recommended when working around forklifts.
Buckle up. Overturned forklifts are a leading cause of forklift-related injuries and fatalities. By buckling up while in a sit-down forklift, operators can save themselves from getting crushed by the machine’s overhead guard or roll cage in the event of an accident.
Don’t surpass a forklift’s weight capacity. By keeping loads within the weight capacity, operators can reduce the risk of tipping the machine.
Operate at a safe speed, use the horn when needed, and use caution on grades or ramps. Forklift operators should sound their horn in locations where vision is obstructed to help alert pedestrians or other operators and avoid collisions. Operators should also take corners and turns slowly to minimize the risk of tipping.
When finished operating, park safely. Set the parking brake, lower the forks, and set the controls to neutral. Safely parked machines reduce the risk of unintended movement when a forklift is left unattended. If the vehicle is parked on an incline, employees can further secure the forklift with wheel blocks.
More than 90% of Class 4 and 5 forklift operators are using propane forklifts, according to data from the Propane Education & Research Council, making the following propane-specific safety tips important for a wide range of facilities.
Q: What safety measures should employees remember every time they operate propane-powered equipment?
Inspect propane cylinders prior to operation. Check cylinders for rust, dents, gouges, and leaks. Cylinders that show signs of wear or leaks shouldn’t be used and may need to be replaced, even if they’re within the cylinder’s requalification date.
Ensure the pressure-relief valve on the propane cylinder is secure and points away from the locating pin. Operators should check that the pressure-relief valve fitting is roughly 180 degrees from the forklift’s locating pin.
Close the service valves on cylinders when not in use. This helps prevent potential injury around internal combustion engines and unintended fuel loss.
Store propane cylinders in a secure rack or cage. These are generally located away from exits, stairways, entryways, and high-traffic areas. The cylinders can be stored horizontally with the pressure-relief valves in the uppermost position. Operators should use proper lifting techniques when removing cylinders from storage and placing them onto a forklift.
Q: What role does a local propane supplier play in forklift safety?
The propane industry has dedicated procedures to support the safety of businesses that operate with propane, including local propane suppliers. Local suppliers can help customers with:
Cylinders: Propane suppliers inspect cylinders each time they’re exchanged and remove damaged cylinders from service. They can also repair and replace worn valves and O-rings on the cylinders as needed and help identify the most convenient location for cylinder cages so they don’t interfere with workflows.
Refueling: A propane supplier’s priority is making sure crews understand how to properly and safely install propane cylinders on their forklifts. Businesses can also opt for a cylinder-exchange program, where their propane supplier conveniently refills the cylinders for them.
Training: Some propane suppliers offer additional safety training opportunities for forklift customers.
Supply chain planning (SCP) leaders working on transformation efforts are focused on two major high-impact technology trends, including composite AI and supply chain data governance, according to a study from Gartner, Inc.
"SCP leaders are in the process of developing transformation roadmaps that will prioritize delivering on advanced decision intelligence and automated decision making," Eva Dawkins, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Composite AI, which is the combined application of different AI techniques to improve learning efficiency, will drive the optimization and automation of many planning activities at scale, while supply chain data governance is the foundational key for digital transformation.”
Their pursuit of those roadmaps is often complicated by frequent disruptions and the rapid pace of technological innovation. But Gartner says those leaders can accelerate the realized value of technology investments by facilitating a shift from IT-led to business-led digital leadership, with SCP leaders taking ownership of multidisciplinary teams to advance business operations, channels and products.
“A sound data governance strategy supports advanced technologies, such as composite AI, while also facilitating collaboration throughout the supply chain technology ecosystem,” said Dawkins. “Without attention to data governance, SCP leaders will likely struggle to achieve their expected ROI on key technology investments.”
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
Serious inland flooding and widespread power outages are likely to sweep across Florida and other Southeast states in coming days with the arrival of Hurricane Helene, which is now predicted to make landfall Thursday evening along Florida’s northwest coast as a major hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While the most catastrophic landfall impact is expected in the sparsely-population Big Bend area of Florida, it’s not only sea-front cities that are at risk. Since Helene is an “unusually large storm,” its flooding, rainfall, and high winds won’t be limited only to the Gulf Coast, but are expected to travel hundreds of miles inland, the weather service said. Heavy rainfall is expected to begin in the region even before the storm comes ashore, and the wet conditions will continue to move northward into the southern Appalachians region through Friday, dumping storm total rainfall amounts of up to 18 inches. Specifically, the major flood risk includes the urban areas around Tallahassee, metro Atlanta, and western North Carolina.
In addition to its human toll, the storm could exert serious business impacts, according to the supply chain mapping and monitoring firm Resilinc. Those will be largely triggered by significant flooding, which could halt oil operations, force mandatory evacuations, restrict ports, and disrupt air traffic.
While the storm’s track is currently forecast to miss the critical ports of Miami and New Orleans, it could still hurt operations throughout the Southeast agricultural belt, which produces products like soybeans, cotton, peanuts, corn, and tobacco, according to Everstream Analytics.
That widespread footprint could also hinder supply chain and logistics flows along stretches of interstate highways I-10 and I-75 and on regional rail lines operated by Norfolk Southern and CSX. And Hurricane Helene could also likely impact business operations by unleashing power outages, deep flooding, and wind damage in northern Florida portions of Georgia, Everstream Analytics said.
Before the storm had even touched Florida soil, recovery efforts were already being launched by humanitarian aid group the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). In a statement on Wednesday, the group said it is urging residents in the storm's path across the Southeast to heed evacuation notices and safety advisories, and reminding members of the logistics community that their post-storm help could be needed soon. The group will continue to update its Disaster Micro-Site with Hurricane Helene resources and with requests for donated logistics assistance, most of which will start arriving within 24 to 72 hours after the storm’s initial landfall, ALAN said.