{"id":3883,"date":"2013-02-09T18:12:43","date_gmt":"2013-02-10T00:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/?p=3883"},"modified":"2023-11-14T21:18:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T03:18:20","slug":"making-your-workplace-safe-for-changing-forklift-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/forklifts\/making-your-workplace-safe-for-changing-forklift-batteries\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Your Workplace Safe For Changing Forklift Batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Toyota<\/a>
An open battery compartment on a Toyota forklift.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Industrial forklifts that are battery powered are used in an increasing variety of manufacturing and warehouse operations. Today\u2019s electric batteries provide benefits like reduced emission, which helps many businesses (from small, family-owned groups to large corporations), achieve \u201cgreen\u201d goals regarding environmental responsibility. The other obvious benefits of today\u2019s electric lift trucks<\/a> are longer running times and shorter periods for recharging.<\/p>\n

Battery powered lift trucks include small pallet trucks and large forklifts. Regardless of the lift truck make and model, operators and maintenance providers must be aware of the potential dangers when handling batteries. Observing some simple safety<\/a> tips could prevent an accident from harming a worker.<\/p>\n

There are two kinds of batteries in industrial forklifts, nickel-iron and lead acid. Either one can cause a safety risk if handled improperly. Operators who change out their own truck\u2019s batteries, just like maintenance workers responsible for an entire fleet, must be cautious of the battery\u2019s weight, the volatility of gas emissions when charging, and the danger of the corrosive chemicals inside batteries.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that businesses using battery powered lift trucks provide well-ventilated, clean, safe areas for use as battery changing stations and safety equipment to lessen the chance of a battery-related accident.<\/p>\n

The installation area should be designated before a lift truck rolls out, with operators and supervisors alike understanding the purpose and location of the changing station(s). If your business, factory or warehouse isn\u2019t completely smoke-free already, changing stations must become “no-smoking” zones, and must be clearly designated as such. Forklifts must be stationary, with the engine off and handbrake on, before any attempt to change a battery. Employees who are charging up and\/or exchanging lift truck batteries must wear protective clothing.<\/p>\n

To keep the designated battery changing areas safe, equipment and facilities should be close on-hand in case of chemical spills or fire. Your charging equipment \u2013 usually expensive to replace \u2013 should be adequately protected from these potential hazards, too. Material handling equipment like a conveyor or overhead hoist can prevent back injuries caused by lifting the heavy batteries. Another example is a flushing station, which allows workers to wash hands and eyes. Typical eyewash stations will provide enough supply for 15 minutes of free flowing water. Large locations should include a plumbed drench shower with the eyewash.<\/p>\n

Training employees just in case these accidents occur makes good sense. If a lift truck operator, mechanic or maintenance crew member is certified in First Aid, for example, they will be more prepared to assess and deal with a fire, spilled battery acid or related injuries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Industrial forklifts that are battery powered are used in an increasing variety of manufacturing and warehouse operations. Today\u2019s electric batteries provide benefits like reduced emission, which helps many businesses (from small, family-owned groups to large corporations), achieve \u201cgreen\u201d goals regarding environmental responsibility. The other obvious benefits of today\u2019s electric lift trucks are longer running times … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,110],"tags":[938,584,937,7,347,993,73,939,925],"class_list":["post-3883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forklifts","category-safety-products","tag-battery-powered-forklifts","tag-conveyor","tag-electric-forklifts","tag-lift-trucks","tag-material-handling-equipment","tag-pallet-lift","tag-pallet-trucks","tag-safety-tips","tag-workplace-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12890,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3883\/revisions\/12890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}