Client Brief

Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions contacted SLD with a need to address an area of their warehouse which posed a significant WH&S risk. A thin alleyway in the Unitrans warehouse, which houses products in the adjoining pallet racking, intersects a pedestrian crossing. Due to the narrowness of the alleyway, the forklifts are set in a fixed direction and cannot turn. Moreover, every corner is a blind spot for the drivers and pedestrians, creating a serious risk of collision. Due to this, Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions requested a visual alert system that indicated to drivers when pedestrians were in the alleyway, and alternatively indicate to pedestrians when a forklift was in the alleyway.

Assessment

After initial consultations, several challenges became apparent. First, as the works would all be internal, mains power access would be needed. Second, as the pedestrians and forklifts entered the alleyway at opposite sides, multiple points of visual alerts would be required, each being tailored to drivers or pedestrians accordingly. Third, the visual alerts indicating a forklift is in the alleyway will need to remain active the entire time a forklift is present.

Outcome

The pedestrian crossing and forklift entranceway were built as two independent alert systems. SLD installed a push button triggered system at the pedestrian crossing, which would illuminate a back-lit, edge-lit pedestrian crossing sign at forklift entranceway to the alley. The sign would illuminate for 20 seconds, giving pedestrians significant time to walk across the alleyway, while indicating to drivers not to enter.

On the Forklift entranceway side, SLD installed several long-range motion detector beams running down the length of the alleyway, which illuminate several custom built, back-lit, edge-lit forklift warning signs when triggered. When a forklift driver enters the alleyway, they will trigger the motion detections beams, automatically alerting pedestrians on the other end that a forklift was present, where they would wait for them to pass before proceeding.

The two systems work exceptionally well and achieve Unitrans’ objective of reducing the WH&S risk in the location.