The forklift operator’s alert is designed like a traf c light, something that drivers respond to out of habit even when they’re not looking straight at it. “Subconsciously, when the light turns from green to yellow, people just slow down,” says Vivek Kulkarni, ARIN’s founder and CEO. “And when it turns red, they stop.” The wearable unit provides an audible signal and also vibrates. For companies that don’t want to use wearables, ARIN offers a device for pedestrians called an area monitor, which also behaves like a traf c signal. “It lets pedestrians know when a forklift is approaching and when it’s safe to cross,” Kulkarni says. PEDESTRIAN CROSSING VIA Technologies, a Taiwanese rm with an of ce in Fremont, California, takes a third approach. It mounts three cameras on a forklift truck and uses image processing and arti cial intelligence (AI) to detect approaching pedestrians. Usually, the driver relies on an audio alert to know when danger is imminent. Some companies also opt for an onboard screen that displays feeds from all three cameras. By using cameras for detection, VIA eliminates the need to give pedestrians wearable devices or other accessories. The video also helps a company document any incidents that do occur. “For example, if there’s a legal claim or an insurance claim, the camera has it recorded,” says Richard Brown, VIA’s vice president of marketing. VIA’s technology can detect other safety hazards, too. For instance, its optional Driver Safety System (DSS) points a camera at the forklift operator. “The camera monitors whether the driver is tired by tracking eye blinks, or is smoking, or using a phone,” Brown explains. Some companies opt for a speed sensor, which triggers an alarm if the vehicle goes too fast. “We’re adding a seat belt sensor early in 2023,” he notes.
BODY OF KNOWLEDGE A solution from Soter Analytics helps managers redesign processes to make employees even safer. Soter Task uses video and artificial intelligence (AI) to visualize the risk to various points in the body that a person incurs while working. Imagine an associate palletizing product on the floor. “I would take a video of that person performing the task,” says Heather Chapman, U.S. account manager at Soter Analytics. The software processes the video to create a schematic-figure-in- motion, color coded to show areas of no risk (green), moderate risk (yellow) and high risk (red). “You can quickly show the associate that they put their back at high risk when they bend to the floor,” she says. Management then brings in a load leveler to raise the height of the pallet, films the worker doing the same task, and studies the processed image. “They can see by implementing the use of a load leveler that they've reduced the chance of injury by, say, 65%,” Chapman says. That evidence would justify the cost of the load leveler. Managers might also bring Soter Task to a warehouse that has few injuries to help figure out what workers there are doing right. “Then make that a best practice at other sites,” Chapman says. “Workers at the site that are doing well can coach and mentor those who need help.”
138 Inbound Logistics • January 2023
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