Forklifts and Blind Spots
Forklift drivers often have to contend with an impaired view as a result of blind spots around the vehicle, leading to a considerable volume of accidents each year. This fact is borne out by figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reports that between 2011 and 2017, a total of over 7000 people each year were injured so badly that they were unable to work for a prolonged period of time.
Most industrial accidents with forklifts involve the truck being in a collision with the accident victim. Other accident scenarios include the load falling onto someone, or people in the vicinity of the truck being trapped between the truck and a wall, for instance. Most of these accidents occur because the forklift driver has a poor view of the area surrounding the vehicle. Added to that, forklift drivers are trying to focus on a lot of things at the same time: the load, the height, the turns. All this increases the likelihood of an accident.
Load Blocking the View
When a forklift truck is carrying a load, the front area is completely obscured, which creates a number of blind spots. And it is not only the load on the fork that restricts the driver's view, but also obscured intersections and drive-in points in the warehouse. Fitting cameras to a forklift increases safety by giving the driver a direct view of the floor in front of the truck. Cameras provide a clear view of obstacles and of areas that would otherwise be blind spots, helping to prevent accidents.
Blind Spots around a Forklift
Even without a load on the fork, drivers are often unable to get a clear view of the area in front of the forklift. The bulkhead, the fork carriage, any attachments and the mast with hydraulic hoses and cylinders all obscure the view. A camera gives drivers a better view of their surroundings, which minimizes the risk of a collision.
High Resolution Digital Camera
Get a visual on blind spots at the rear of your lift truck with a no latency High Definition GMSL Rear View system. With a digital reversing camera on your machine, you gain a better view of the working area to the rear of the machine making it possible to drive more safely when reversing. Add a Front View camera on your truck to eliminate blind spot in front of the truck as well. Thanks to the higher resolution, the image quality is much better compared to an analog system. The Digital GMSL cameras therefore improves safety even further.
Enhance safety with a camera monitor system from Stoneridge-Orlaco. Contact us for more information or request a quote.
