Even experienced forklift owners and operators are often not aware of the many ways forklift attachments and accessories can improve productivity and workplace safety.We’ve put together these tips to introduce you to some forklift accessories you may not be aware of and how they can improve workplace safety and productivity.

Tip One: What you need to know about forklift booms

The forklift boom attachment effectively turns an ordinary forklift into a multi-purpose forklift/crane. However, not all forklifts are designed for forklift booms. A telescoping boom attachment can extend to up to 144 inches and carry a load of up to 8,000 pounds. A heavy, extended load like this can shift a forklift’s center of balance and pose a significant hazard. Before choosing a telescoping boom attachment, Contact Us or your forklift manufacturer and find out if your forklift is rated to safely use the boom.

Tip Two: Keeping your warehouse floor safe

Aside from attachments and accessories for your forklift, forkliftaccessories.com also supplies a number of items designed for facility and product protection. Two of the most popular products are a permanent joint and crack compound that can seal cracks up to three quarters of an inch wide and a non-skid floor coating. Both of these are essential facility maintenance and repair products to enhance workplace safety.

Tip Three: Propane safety.

Propane safety is of paramount importance in the workplace. Some essential propane safety products include:

• Lock out tags to prevent accidental use of damaged propane cylinders.
• Leak detection compound to test for leaks on propane junctions and hoses.
• A personal protection kit that includes safety gloves, safety glasses, leak detection compound and full instructions about how to safely handle propane cylinders.
• The Propane Cylinder Exchange Training Program includes a DVD, written material and test material to give your staff all the knowledge they need to safely work around propane.

Tip Four: Essential Safety Signs

Before you proceed to checkout, take a look at the safety signs available from forkliftaccessories.com. Low cost, highly visible safety signs will probably add little or nothing to your shipping costs, but contribute greatly towards workplace safety. Some of our best sellers include a “No Smoking, Propane Changing” sign to remind workers not to light up in a potentially dangerous environment and Stop signs to place strategically indoors and outdoors.

Tip Five: How to get more out of your forklift forks

Standard forklift forks are designed primarily for lifting pallets. Square edged and hard, they can damage malleable goods that are carried directly on them. Two inexpensive forklift fork extensions that can prevent costly damage to goods are slip on polyethylene fork protectors and round or triangular forklift sleeves. Fork protectors allow the forklift operator to gently nudge boxes and other soft objects without fear of damaging them and round or triangular forklift sleeves protect goods that are cradled between the forks from damage.

Tip Six: How to safely handle forklift batteries

An entire category of forklift accessories is devoted to battery accessories. This is because cumbersome forklift batteries need dedicated accessories in order to be safely and efficiently handled. A forklift roller stand is designed to facilitate battery removal. Automatic watering systems are available for everything from 12 volt, 6 cell batteries to 48 volt, 24 cell batteries. Speed and safety are built in to these systems, making them a must for every electric forklift.

To help prevent accidents when handling batteries, we offer a complete battery handling safety kit that includes everything you need for your safety when handling batteries. Although rare, accidents do happen and when they do happen, first aid can prevent a minor accident from turning into a major one. Having a battery eye wash stand at your fingertips is a must in any workplace where battery acid can pose a danger.

Tip Seven: How to keep your floors spic and span the easy way

Have you ever stopped to consider how many man hours are wasted sweeping warehouse and factory floors? Calling skilled workers away from their duties is a waste of time and money that over the course of a year can add up to thousands of dollars. One of the most cost-efficient forklift attachments you can buy is a sweeper attachment. With one of these, your forklift operator can do a job in minutes that collectively can take a team of workers hours to accomplish.

Tip Eight: Self dumping hoppers pay for themselves in no time

Another form of unskilled labor that is a waste of time and money is dumping the waste that collects during the course of a busy day. Self dumping hoppers can be picked up and dumped by a forklift operator in minutes. There are many sizes and styles available, from low profile self dumping hoppers to large capacity heavy duty hoppers, so there is a hopper for every workplace, from the smallest workshop to the largest warehouse or factory.

Tip Nine: Improve Forklift Operator Productivity with a Forklift Replacement Seat

Studies have shown that productivity drops off as the day progresses, usually because of fatigue. Ergonomics is the science of designing a workplace environment that reduces fatigue and increases productivity. Your forklift operator will appreciate having an ergonomically designed forklift replacement seat and you will appreciate the fact that your forklift operator is working productively right up until the end of his shift.

Tip Ten: Extend your reach with a forklift work platform

Your workplace may not need a personnel lift, but if you are using your space efficiently, you will store many items above arm’s length. Remarkably, many factories and warehouses that use forklifts daily still rely on ladders for reaching and working at heights. This is not just inefficient – it’s dangerous. The solution to the problem is a forklift mounted work platform. Choose between foldable work platforms for occasional use or sturdy work platforms that are ready for use at a moment’s notice. Once you have a work platform, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without one.