Accidents not only endanger the health of employees, but also disrupt operations and cause high costs. However, decision-makers in the intralogistics industry can do a lot to make the processes in their companies safer. Linde Material Handling offers solutions and assistance systems that ensure greater safety in the interaction between industrial trucks and employees - by providing information, warnings, control or regulatory intervention.

The latest development: an interactive warning vest that flashes and vibrates as soon as a forklift truck approaches. The vest is based on the Linde Safety Guard assistance system introduced last year, which uses an ultra-wideband signal (UWB) to send centimeter-precise radio signals even through walls and doors. Benjamin Reis, Manager Safety Sales at Linde Material Handling: "The idea behind the vest is very simple - but highly efficient. A simple warning is usually enough to prevent dangerous situations from arising in the first place. This is how accidents can be prevented."

In the last two years in particular, goods handling specialist Linde has expanded its range of safety solutions. For example, the LED Stripes and Vertilight lighting solutions. Both are based on LED technology, but use different approaches to illuminate the forklift truck's work area in a targeted, bright and glare-free manner. Optical warning systems such as the Linde Bluespot or its further development Linde Truckspot have also proven their worth. The latter projects a red warning triangle onto the ground instead of a blue dot, thus making pedestrians or other truck drivers more aware of each other. The Linde Roadster vehicle type is based on a special vehicle design. The electric forklift truck has no A-pillar and gives the driver a panoramic view of the surroundings and load. More visibility means more safety for the driver.

There are also new features for the Linde connect fleet management system to protect people, machines, goods and infrastructure: with the Pre-Op app, the mandatory vehicle check becomes an essential requirement for every driver change and ensures that only technically flawless equipment is put into operation. The Zone Intelligence module, which is also new, allows fleet operators to define specific zones in storage and production areas within which the speed of the equipment is automatically reduced. Dangerous intersections or sections with a high volume of forklift trucks and people can be effectively mitigated in this way. Hall or factory plans are used to define the various zones.

However, products and solutions are only one side of the coin. The other is organizational improvements in operations. This is why the company offers the Linde Safety Scan: with the help of the structured consulting solution, safety experts first analyse all logistics processes on site at the customer's premises and visualize potential danger points on a map. In a further step, measures are proposed to mitigate critical areas and implemented together with the customer company.

"It is worthwhile for our customers to pay as much attention as possible to the issue of security. Every investment is money well spent and ultimately ensures smooth processes. With the industry's largest portfolio of products, solutions and consulting services, we help our customers to achieve this goal," says Linde safety expert Benjamin Reis. as