The 7000 Series Deep-Reach lift trucks create power through regenerative lowering, which returns up to 10% of the used amps back to the battery when the truck is lowering a load, resulting in fewer battery changes and reduced downtime. The 7500 reach truck creates power through regenerative lowering, which returns up to 10% of the used amps back to the battery when the truck is lowering a load, resulting in fewer battery changes and reduced downtime. This video was taken in early January of 2013.
Read This Week: Acts 25
Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die. – Acts 25:1-2, 8-10 NIV
Acts 25 is a continuation of Paul’s trial that seems to be going on for an inordinate amount of time. He has more than adequately defended himself and disproven all the charges against him with eloquence, grace, and truth. Now he is in front of the new governor, Porcius Festus, who does not even know anything about the original Jewish plot against him. So Paul finds himself having to make his case again.
Governor Festus does not cooperate with the schemes of the Jewish leaders, but he does invite them to confront Paul again so he can review the case in person. At this time, Paul remains resolute and stands up with clarity and says, “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” He affirms his innocence again of any crime and does so with inspiring confidence in the Lord and his mission.
When Festus raises the stakes on Paul in verse 9 and asks him if he is willing to go on trial before the court in Jerusalem, the Apostle takes an even bigger stand. He says in verse 10:
“I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die.”
With this tremendous statement of faith and courage, Paul undermines and destroys both the intent and case of the Jews. The religious leaders could not intimidate or make him denounce the gospel of Jesus as the Son of God because he was willing to face death for the mission. Their desire to kill him had no effect on Paul because his heart was already prepared to die for the calling that had been placed on his life.
This chapter communicates to us the reality of our trials. Sometimes they go on for longer than we want them to. Sometimes we have to endure the same attacks over and over again. Sometimes the Enemy is persistent in his accusations and desire to destroy us. But through it all, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have to stand up. Stand up to the challenges that we face in this life and persevere with faith, strength, and an undying commitment to God’s mission.
Paul, the same person who stood trial before Festus in this chapter wrote these words in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” After we have done all we can do, sometimes the victory comes in just being able to keep standing up.
Forklift underride collisions are among the most severe accidents in warehouses or any facility where reach trucks, and/or standup forklifts or counterbalance trucks are used.
Causes of Underride Accidents
Standup forklift and reach truck underride occurs during a collision where a horizontal rack beam intrudes into the operator cabin. If there are no barriers or objects that act as buffers on the floor (like pallets or stock) or at the level of the overhead guard, the forklift may back up further than intended resulting in a rear-ward collision. This may lead to the rack beam striking the operator or pinning them to the front of the compartment.
Potential Injuries in an Underride Accident
A rear-ward collision with a stationary object can result in the following injuries:
- Broken ribs – Besides the vertebrae, the ribs are also at risk of serious injury during an underride incident.
- Pelvic injuries – Injuries to the pelvis can occur during a crush accident.
- Internal organ injuries – A crushing blow can result in:
- Internal bleeding
- Punctured lungs
- Stomach injury
- Ruptured spleen
- Kidney damage
- Lacerated liver
- Head and neck injuries – These injuries include:
- Concussions
- Contusions
- Whiplash
- Skull fracture
- Spinal injuries – When an operator suffers direct contact to the spine, it can result in:
- Nerve damage
- Chronic pain – Up to 70% of spinal cord injuries cause chronic pain
- Broken bones – The vertebrae may incur fractures from a direct impact.
- Paralysis – Damage to the spinal cord can result in paralysis.
- Asphyxiation – If the upper body of the operator is pinned between objects, this can prevent them from breathing, causing suffocation.
- Death – According to the 2008 ASME risk assessment mentioned earlier, collision accidents account for 42% of all fatalities across the six categories.
Injuries such as these will also have repercussions on the business itself. The company may face personal injury lawsuits or, in the worst case, possible wrongful death lawsuits.
By the Numbers
Most studies identify overturning or stability issues as the most significant hazard faced by a forklift operator. However, the research is based on sit-down forklifts which operate on an entirely different dynamic than a standup.
A 2008 hazard analysis by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) studied 3,000 standup lift truck accidents (categorized as pedestrian, maintenance, fall, collision, and stability accidents). As much as 58% (1,693 incidents) involved collisions between a standup forklift and a stationary object resulting in over 700 serious injuries and 22 deaths.
For a standup forklift or reach truck, the greatest hazard is an underride collision.
The Burden of Responsibility
In place of the frequency and severity of injuries involved in standup forklift underride accidents, it may be surmised that manufacturers are putting in the effort to fix the problem. Unfortunately, this is not the case. While manufacturers clamour to address the stability issues of forklifts, little has been done to add further safety measures to prevent or protect the driver from rear-ward impact. This is in spite of evidence that points to the risk of underride collisions exceeding that of overturning when it comes to standup forklifts.
Organizations including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), ASME, the US Department of Labor, Ministries of Labour in Canada, and other health and safety associations are making an effort to publicize and spread awareness of the dangers of underride. However, manufacturers do not see an issue with the forklift designs, believing instead that underride is caused primarily by problems involving the environment and the education of drivers. This effectively tosses the responsibility of preventing these incidents at the workplace and the operator.
Major forklift manufacturers suggest that avoiding the hazard can be done primarily through the careful operation of the vehicle, looking at the right direction, and maintaining control at all times.
The report published by ASME concludes with a recommendation to install an additional barrier, such as a rear vertical post on the forklift.
How to Prevent Forklift Underride
Underride collisions can be avoided by taking the following safety measures:
- Provide adequate training to operators. This is the first of many essential steps to take to ensure the safety of your forklift drivers. Forklifts are unique vehicles with their own set of risks. Make sure all forklift operators receive adequate safety training and certification.
- To emphasize on the previous point, do not allow staff without the proper training or certification to drive a forklift.
- Make adjustments to the rack shelf heights, so the forklift body or overhead guard strikes the rack in the event of contact.
- Install a stopper or barrier on the floor. This allows the forklift to strike the stopper instead of the shelf, preventing collisions.
- Attach a rear guard to the standup forklift or reach truck. The rear guard is a vertical post that extends from the forklift body to the overhead guard. It is designed to protect the operator from getting injured from horizontal intrusion collisions.
The Backbone® Safety Bar for Reach Trucks & Standup Counterbalance Trucks is a rear guard designed, engineered and manufactured by Lakeport Metalcraft Inc. to protect operators from the hazards of rear-ward collisions,
Stand Up Reach Operator
During its development, The Backbone was tested by a leading test, inspection and certification firm, and was found to be fully compliant with the ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 Standard to withstand impacts of up to 1.6 km/h.
It is easy to install and provides the missing physical barrier between the operator and objects outside the lift truck.
Stand Up Reach Truck
Lakeport Metalcraft Inc. distributes The Backbone® worldwide, through our affiliate dealers and resellers and directly from our factory. Users of The Backbone range from a major automotive manufacturer to big-box retail stores to aerospace companies. Contact us or one of our distributors for technical information or to make a purchase.