Top of the Class for Safety
The logistics sector is undergoing rapid changes, with more and more goods being handled across increasingly large areas and within increasingly tight time frames. Digitalized processes are making the sector ever more complex and require people and automated systems to interact. All these rapid movements in confined spaces make safety measures absolutely essential. Linde MH has always set safety standards and is a leader in terms of safety and ergonomics.
“When you ask members of the logistics sector which forklift truck brand is renowned for its safety, it’s likely that Linde will be the first company to spring to people’s minds,” says Fabian Zimmermann, Product Manager for Safety at Linde MH. This is a clear testament to how safety is in the company’s DNA. Its experienced experts look at the entire picture and skillfully examine the causes of accidents in logistics so that they can develop effective safety features for use in practice.
The statistics published by the German Social Accident Insurance Association in 2021 are yet another reason why this is so important:
Accident Rates in Germany
34,051 accidents
In 2021, there were 34,051 accidents involving industrial trucks in Germany.
15,383 accidents
Almost half of the accidents involved counterbalanced forklift trucks.
51 percent of accidents
Over half of the accidents were collisions with people or objects not spotted in time.
20 percent of accidents
The driver was injured in one-fifth of the accidents.
Vision Zero
Every accident results in damage and, in the worst-case scenarios, loss of life and personal suffering. But most accidents could be prevented if stress, human error, and flawed processes were eliminated. Linde MH’s goal is to achieve Vision Zero, where there are zero accidents and zero damage. This can only be achieved by paying great attention to detail and by looking at all the processes involved in handling goods.
It is our belief that there should be no compromises when it comes to operational safety, because nothing is more costly than harm to human health as well as damage to goods, infrastructure, or a company’s good reputation. “Companies that want to increase their efficiency in particular must pay attention to safety and see it as the basis for smooth processes,” says Zimmermann, explaining Linde MH’s viewpoint on the issue of safety. “According to our philosophy, cost-effectiveness and safety do not stand in each other’s way, but rather go hand in hand.” And that’s exactly why Linde MH’s experts tackle safety so systematically.
Fleet-Appropriate Safety Features
It’s important to ensure that the entire fleet and not just the latest models are safe to operate. That’s why Linde MH develops safety features that can also be retrofitted into existing fleets as well as into vehicles from third-party manufacturers using retrofit kits, which allow these third-party vehicles to be integrated into an overarching safety system. The safety solutions focus on four areas:
Linde MH has built up an extensive portfolio of solutions to cover these areas. “The need to consult with our customers and the fact that every company is different and should use the safety solution that is most effective for them naturally always remain at the forefront of our minds,” says Zimmermann. Linde MH offers a range of solutions – from truck lighting and ergonomic features to various assistance and warning systems for trucks and their surroundings. These systems include environmental warning systems and explosion-proof trucks for work in sectors like the chemical and petrochemical industries.
Linde Safety Guard – the Protection Zone Riding Along with the Driver
65 percent of all accidents involve collisions. Anyone familiar with the often hectic environment and confined spaces within warehouses understands the risks these conditions pose. The ability to “see and be seen” is therefore vital. The Linde Safety Guard system forms a protection zone around the forklift truck in which people and other trucks are detected. Where necessary, acoustic and visual warning signals protect people, trucks, and goods. Whenever the forklift truck enters programmed speed-restriction zones, its speed is automatically reduced. Stationary warning projectors can also optionally project a warning sign onto the floor to provide an additional warning to approaching pedestrians. This can be used, for example, to make it safer to move from bright outdoor areas to dark halls.
Reversing Safely
With customers expecting goods to be shipped immediately, the demand for faster goods handling is increasing. In turn, there is a greater desire for forklift trucks to be quicker. Reversing at higher speeds poses the greatest risk of serious accidents involving collisions with people. The new Reverse Assist Camera is therefore an important addition to Linde’s range of solutions and gives the driver a clear view of their surroundings on the 7-inch vehicle display. The Reverse Assist Camera is an AI-based camera system for automatic person detection, where artificial intelligence is used to detect pedestrians in the vicinity of the forklift truck. The assistance system differentiates people from other obstacles in real time and warns the driver of an imminent collision with several levels of warnings.
The warning function can also be combined with speed reduction in order to automatically slow down the truck when in proximity to people and prevent collisions. The detection zones and warning mechanisms can be individually adapted to the truck in question and the requirements on site. Another solution from Linde MH for improving safety when it comes to the highly risky danger zone behind forklift trucks is Linde Motion Detection. This system protects pedestrians by registering movements behind a stationary forklift truck and preventing the truck from starting up. Linde MH won the Best of Industry Award for this innovation in 2022. “This recognition from customers and industry experts is encouraging us to continue along the path we have chosen,” says Fabian Zimmermann. “It motivates us to keep implementing the key principles behind our safety strategy. When it comes to safety, we constantly question the status quo. And we inspire ourselves and others to make people’s lives and working routines easier and to find the best solutions for transporting materials.”
Reverse Assist Camera in Action
Cemex, a manufacturer of cement and aggregates, uses the Reverse Assist Camera and the Linde Safety Guard. Watch this film to hear about its positive experiences with these solutions: