"Social Distancing" is the order of the day. After all, the only way to best protect employee health and safety is to maintain the minimum distance and change working practices as a result. "All companies need to think about how to ensure the greatest possible distance between employees when exit restrictions and contact blocks are lifted and the economy gradually returns to 'business as usual'," explains Marietta Landsmann, Senior Manager Digital Products at Linde Material Handling.
This is where remote process control technologies, such as the Truck Call App from Linde, could play an important role. This works in a similar way to modern cab apps à la Uber: orders are sent to all drivers in the company until the order is accepted by one person. Calling for a forklift driver works on the same principle. This makes assigning driving jobs much easier and shortens the communication channels between managers and drivers.
This eliminates the need for personal contact between the parties involved. This is because the shift supervisor enters the transport or picking orders to be completed into the system from his smartphone, tablet or computer, along with an urgency level for the order. The app then informs all forklift drivers whose equipment is eligible for the transport order. If a driver confirms online, the job disappears from the system and once completed, the shift supervisor receives a notification.
Whether a forklift operation takes place on an area with "restricted public ways" must be clarified with the responsible authorities in each individual case. A preventive check, also involving the contractual insurer, is therefore advisable and can protect the company from unpleasant surprises. If approval of the forklift truck for public road traffic is necessary, a wide range of measures must be taken. First and foremost, this means obtaining an operating permit, and this requires warning lights, a warning triangle, a tine guard, a lighting system in accordance with the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) and a TÜV approval. This may also require reducing the maximum speed of the truck. This is because vehicles that, due to their design, cannot travel faster than 20 km/h are exempt from compulsory registration and vehicle tax, and instead of an official license plate, only require a label with the owner's name and address.
