14 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Robert Footlik Robert B. Footlik, PE is a retired Professional Industrial Engineer. With over 50 years’ experience as a Warehouse and Logistics Consultant to a wide variety of clients including Fastener Distributors, Bob has a wealth of valuable information for our industry and he is willing to share it. While Footlik & Associates is now closed, his expertise is still available to his friends and our readers. For friendly advice, a second opinion or just to start a conversation, he can be reached at robert@footlik.net. EVALUATING YOUR FORKLIFTS AND OPERATORS While the overall design of a forklift has not changed very much since the first sit down riders were offered by Towmotor and Yale & Towne almost 100 years ago only the base concept remains. Every other aspect of the vehicle has evolved with new materials, different paradigms and operational requirements. Over the last 15 years two trends in particular have guided the design and marketing of these vehicles, ergonomics and telematics. Reconsidering Ergonomics Past studies have shown that an operator’s productivity is best during the first half to three quarters of their work day. This could be due to changes in the workload or because of problems created with control placement, repetitive motions or simply the need to climb up and down all day. Ergonomics is the science of looking at how humans interface with their environment. Moving a lever, turning a steering wheel or even monitoring vehicle status can make a huge difference in how an operator feels at the end of the shift. This can also reduce the incidence of repetitive stress injury while enhancing safety for the operators and those around them. No matter the configuration, sitting on a seat, standing on the chassis or traveling on a platform mounted to the forks, space is limited and visibility can CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE be problematic. More seat padding, improved control mounting and greater visibility all help. For example several vendors have tilted the slats on their overhead guards creating louvers instead of blocking the view without compromising the protection required under OSHA Section 1910.178. Certainly this makes sense for safety, but it also reduces neck pain and stretching injuries. In the Fastener Industry upgrading forklifts has frequently been based strictly on maintenance economic factors. When the vehicle is getting too expensive to repair (or for some when the parts are no longer available) a new forklift is purchased. Little or no regard is being paid to operator comfort and productivity. This is changing with the realization that the equipment has improved to the point where there is an identifiable return on the investment. Simply stated a comfortable operator, who works consistently throughout their shift is safer and more productive. Unlike a grocery warehouse or distribution center operators in this industry accumulate fewer vehicle hours daily and are climbing on and off the truck far more frequently. A little consideration for how this is done without contortions or hitting their head can make a big difference at the end of a long day. CONTINUED ON PAGE 100
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