Our previous article explained the importance of safety training in the prevention of accidents in the workplace. Following with that same line, today we’d like to address a very important issue of current concern throughout the world: the use of mobile phones during working hours.

Mobile phones are already a fundamental part of our lives. Our routines include the use of the mobile phone during a good part of our day for a range of different activities – from personal conversations with family and friends to a professional use to handle some of our responsibilities.

However, we also know that using mobile phones during working hours can not only result in lost efficiency, but it also becomes a significant risk factor, especially in areas of concern to us such as the industrial world, factories and cargo handling facilities.

But what can be done about the use of mobile phones at work? Should we ban them? Should we punish the user? The truth is that there is not a single answer for these questions, but there are a number of different recommendations that are being put into practice by companies around the world, including some of the largest corporation.

Some of the current trends we can use as example include the signing of labour agreements with employees or trade union representatives stating that the use of mobile phones is not allowed during working hours and establishing the possibility of sanction if this rule is not respected.

Another option is to install signage indicating the areas where mobile phone usage is permitted and those where it is prohibited. Some companies also install warning signs on forklifts to alert the drivers and remind them of the responsibilities they assume from the first moment they start driving or handling loads. Posters on the subject are also placed in common spaces – such as changing rooms –  reminding employees of the risks linked with mobile phone usage.

On the other hand, some companies place posters reminding operators that certain spaces – such as rest areas, dining rooms or patios – are suitable for mobile use, going as far as making WI-FI network available to them. Installing these posters is a way of saying to operators: “You can now use your mobile phones but remember that you will not be able to do so afterwards”.

Beyond the different measures that can be taken in the matter of mobile phones, the key is to accompany all the actions with solid training and awareness campaigns on the risks involved in using mobile phones in work areas, and to report the increased number of accidents when security parameters in this regard are not followed.

Would you like more information about how to reduce risks in your factory or plant?

Please, don’t hesitate to contact us.

As the adage reminds us: “prevention is better than cure”. If we apply that pearl of wisdom to our routines in the industry, we must remember that the training of operators and those who visit our facilities is not a negligible issue to which we pay attention every now and then. On the contrary, safety training merits constant time and effort to help us anticipate potential accidents caused by lack of knowledge or precaution.

In order to take care of those who visit our facilities we first must understand that we need to instil that preventive mindset we talked about in everyone at work. It’s essential to remind them constantly that the safety of the people present in our facilities is a central concern for everyone and that, therefore, we are all involved in this task.

During their visit, we suggest you allocate a space to provide a thorough and extremely clear explanation of the potential hazards that can be faced when moving around industrial facilities, manoeuvring areas and heavy loading and unloading areas, amongst others. While designed for visitors, these recommendations also apply to operators who join the company although their training period may vary according to the responsibilities and tasks to be performed.

During that initial training time – and if necessary – we must show visitors the type of personal safety equipment that should be used during the visit, clearly explaining its correct use. Unfortunately we very often see visitors taking off their helmets and exposing themselves to very high risks without being aware of it.

Visitors should stay with your guide at all times, and everyone should be clear about the risks involved in not doing so or getting away from the group. Also, if possible, it is recommended to have someone with a solid knowledge of first aid principles among those who accompany visitors during their stay in your facility. This person should be prepared to act in the event that some type of accident or unforeseen health event occurs.

Another very important aspect of your visitors’ training is to inform them about the main traffic signs they should be aware of and which are the evacuation routes of your facility. Remind them also when are they allowed to take pictures or videos and when and where can they smoke.

By paying attention to and following safety guidelines, we are all contributing to prevent and reduce accidents in industrial facilities.

Have you ever calculated how much do you use trucks and forklifts in your warehouse? Or how many trucks enter your premises in a month? How many hours of loading and unloading do you do over a semester or a year?

Regardless of the type of industry we work in, the answers to these questions ought to be mind-blowing! And given the high frequency of use of these essential transport tools we must strive to provide the highest safety guarantees for our employees.

That’s precisely why today we’d like to talk about the TDS Solution (Truck Docking System) – a true ally in our daily work, a co-pilot for drivers who spend many hours loading and unloading in the docking areas of our warehouses.

This system is designed to contemplate the dynamics of work in different tasks and minimise the risk of vehicles running over any pedestrian. It aims to create a safer, more modern and much more efficient industry, taking advantage of the many benefits delivered by technology.

This solution, which has been successfully used and is widely accepted by our clients, comprises detection sensors, a control unit and traffic lights. These are extremely resistant, very easy to install devices – the traffic light in this system warns the driver of the vehicle about the presence of operators in the loading dock.

The detection sensors are installed at the dock and are responsible for detecting whether there are any pedestrians, giving the signal to the traffic light and alerting the driver. With that reference, he or she can approach the loading dock without being a source of danger for the person there. All of this allows us to carry out more secure manoeuvres and to have more protected operators.

This system can be perfectly complemented with other Claitec’s solutions already discussed in this blog such as the LSA Assistant (to slow down while in the docks) or the NAS Solution, which is used to avoid accidents between forklifts in tight spaces.

Any questions about the TDS solution or any of Claitec’s systems?

Please, don’t hesitate to contact us here.

In our previous post we talked about the NAS Solution – an extremely useful tool that helps “amplify” the spaces in the areas where forklifts are manoeuvring and cargo is being handled. Continuing along those lines, today we’d like to introduce another of our developments also designed to improve circulation in industrial areas, and particularly to help prevent accidents involving operators and vehicles for industrial use. We are talking about the BS Solution for blind spots.

The Blind Spot (BS) System consists of a solution that uses previously installed traffic lights to indicate who has preference in industrial intersections – whether the drivers or the workers on foot.

The BS System is very easy to install, and it only requires a RFID trigger, traffic lights, a personal key ring for operators and tags for the forklifts. Pedestrians can carry the tags easily in their key rings or with their ID cards, for example, and so can the forklifts. The tags then emit light signals when an activator detects them and the traffic light later indicates who was the right to circulate.

This is a particularly helpful solution in loading and unloading areas; when manoeuvring in areas with low visibility; in areas where pedestrians and forklifts intersect; and in spaces with a lot of traffic and forklift movement.

Experience has shown that once the BS Solution is installed, the risks of being run over by forklifts and pedestrians are minimised, as are collisions between forklifts in areas of limited visibility. In addition, the equipment is characterised by the durability and robustness of its devices that easily withstand their intensive daily usage.

For more information about this solution or to learn more about our products, please don’t hesitate to contact us at this address: https://claitec.com/en/contact/

SOLUTRANS, the urban and road transport solutions show, was celebrated from 21 to 25 November, at Lyon Eurexpo.

Six themes were revealing major market trends featured in the 2017 edition of SOLUTRANS: the factory of the future, new motorisation and energy, connected roads and vehicles, deliveries in city centres, training and cybersecurity.

Our importer OPSYSELEC presence at the fair represented an excellent opportunity to promote the CLAITEC PAS (People detector) on the French market.

Claitec is delighted with the reception our stand had amongst visitors.

Storage spaces, industrial areas or truck loading and unloading areas are just some of the work sites where there never seem to be enough square meters to work on. From the forklifts, to the operators and the merchandise itself … all these elements create overloaded, narrow spaces where both control and prevention become key to averting accidents.

To help you tackle this kind of difficulties in your workspaces, we’d like to tell you today about the benefits of the NAS Solution for safety in narrow aisle – a highly sought-after product amongst our clients who always comment on its great performance.

The NAS solution warns forklift drivers – by means of a traffic light – when another forklift is already located in a zone considered to be of limited space. This development is especially useful in areas where forklifts commonly cross or manoeuvre and spaces with high intensity traffic of industrial vehicles, especially for retractable and trilateral forklifts.

The forklifts incorporate reflective coded bands that when detected by the detection sensors activate the traffic lights installed in the aisle. From that moment, and while the truck remains in the aisle, the traffic light will indicate its presence in the area to the rest of the vehicles or pedestrians that approach that place, avoiding collisions or risk situations in spaces where manoeuvres of any kind are significantly reduced.

The NAS solution stands out for its easy implementation: it only requires coded reflective strips for the forklifts, a code detection sensor, the control unit and a traffic light. In addition, the elements in this system stand out for their durability and robustness.

We invite you to find out more about the NAS system here.

Any questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact us here.

More than 430 companies exhibited in the Logistics & Distribution fair on November 7 and 8.

The event included 8 conference rooms and more than 120 speakers to discuss the main innovations and trends in the sector for the coming years, among which the development of the digitized industry (Industry 4.0) and a circular consumption production model stand out that reduce costs and residues.

Our partner Faw Logistics presence at the fair represented an excellent opportunity to promote the CLAITEC PAS (People detector) on the Spanish market.

Claitec is delighted with the reception our stand had amongst visitors.

When it comes to loading or unloading a truck and receiving or dispatching merchandise, every single minute counts! There’s no time to waste! However, we should never lose sight of a very important fact – working in a hurry to get things done shouldn’t risk employees’ safety or provoke potential accidents.

That’s why today we want to talk about a new concept that has been generating very good results in this area.

Let us envision a logistic warehouse like so many others where trucks are parked outside for loading and forklifts circulate inside loading and unloading the merchandise. In this situation we can frequently observe that as the load is being handled, forklifts tend to enter or exit the trucks at high speeds, generating several potentially risky situations.

First, there is a danger of suffering an accident. Forklifts generally need a ramp to reach the interior of a truck. If they speed up on their way up, they can hit an obstacle or rollover, among many other potentially hazardous situations.

Then, we also need to take into account the gradual physical damages caused to the forklift operator. Every time the forklift goes over a ramp connecting the warehouse to the truck, the vehicle can shake with greater or lesser intensity, generating a blow on the back of that operator, which, after hours and days, can result in significant injury.

For all these reasons, we’d like to introduce you to the benefits of the LSA (Low Speed Area).

The LSA is a system that will allow you to regulate the speed with which forklifts circulate on the loading and unloading areas, preventing and minimizing risks and injuries for your employees.

The LSA solves the aforementioned problems and tackles several potential risks. The device is easily installed in the trucks and reflector strips are placed on the roof of the warehouse delimiting the slow speed zones and the fast speed zones. When the forklift drives through these limits, the system automatically detects at what speed it should be circulating and changes the pace of the vehicle.

Similarly, in the loading and unloading areas, the LSA limits the speed of the forklift and forces the driver to drive at a safer pace. The system allows to easily switch from an unlimited speed mode to a controlled speed mode, making it extremely easy to be used in all sorts of daily tasks.

Find out how the LSA works in this video.

Additionally, at Claitec we have also developed other products to work against the various risk factors that occur in the loading docks. We invite you to visit our website and find out further details: claitec.com

Around 7.500 people visited the Transport & Logistics Antwerp fair on October 17, 18 and 19.

Esquenet’s presence at the fair represented an excellent opportunity to promote the CLAITEC brand and products on the Belgium market.

Esquenet, Claitec’s importer in Belgium, exhibited its PAS (Pedestrian Alert System) and LSA (Speed Zoning) products ranges and latest developments.

Claitec is delighted with the reception our stand had amongst visitors.