Segregation

Collisions between lift trucks and pedestrians cause a large share of serious warehouse injuries and fatalities. Almost all are preventable by layout rather than by care.

The hierarchy for segregation

• Separate entirely — different routes, different doors, different times. Pedestrians should not need to enter the operating area at all where it can be avoided.
• Physical barriers — guardrails, bollards and protected walkways that a truck cannot enter and a person cannot casually step out of.
• Marked routes with defined crossing points, which depend on compliance and are far weaker than barriers.
• Warning systems — proximity detection, blue spot lights projecting ahead of the truck, mirrors and convex mirrors at blind corners, audible alarms.
• Rules and training, which are the last layer and cannot compensate for a layout that forces people and trucks into the same space.

Where collisions happen

At corners and door thresholds with restricted visibility; at racking aisle ends; reversing, because rear visibility is poor on most trucks; around the load when it obscures forward view; near loading bays where drivers and visitors are unfamiliar; and where someone has taken a shortcut across the operating area because the marked route is long.

Visitors and drivers

Delivery drivers are among the most frequently injured people in warehouses. They are unfamiliar with the layout, under time pressure, frequently not covered by site induction, and often standing beside their vehicle in the operating area. Provide a designated safe waiting area, a clear route to it, and a briefing on arrival.