Damaged pallets reduce productivity and increase costs, and damage is often caused by forklifts.
The cost of pallets and their repairs can add up over time, impacting your bottom line.
While they can be damaged in many different ways, improper handling of a forklift is a common cause.
Fortunately, many injuries to pallets can be avoided with careful handling and intensive training.
10 Tips to Reduce Forklift Pallet Damage
01. Reduce vehicle speed
02. Use the right pallet
03. Do not turn until the fork tines are completely removed from the pallet.
04.Do not drag or push the pallet
05. Don't use pallets with short forks
06. Use tray spaces correctly
07. Before lifting, spread out the tines
08. Use high-visibility colored tines
09. Stack pallets evenly
10. Organize the warehouse
01. Reduce vehicle speed
This is one of the most important tips for limiting forklift damage, and it's related to many of the other tips you'll read below.
Slowing down gives forklift operators more reaction time to properly handle pallets and reduces instances of short forks, improper tine spacing and other errors.
In addition, deceleration prevents the mast, tines, or other parts of the lift from striking the pallet or the product it carries. Reducing the rush of work and using the forklift more gently will also extend the life of the forklift.
Important times to slow down are when picking up and dropping off a load. This is also crucial when stacking or forking pallets.
02. Use the correct pallet
Does the pallet have sufficient carrying capacity?
Small differences in a pallet's material size and structural layout can make a big difference in its load-carrying capacity.
Overloaded pallets or the wrong pallets are more likely to break, crack, or chip, and are more susceptible to damage from improper forklift handling.
Distribution of weight is another important factor in using the correct pallet. Even if the pallet meets the load weight, uneven weight distribution can affect performance. Improper weight distribution can stress the pallet in ways it was not designed for, leading to failure.
Using a Pallet Design System (PDS) can help ensure pallets are loaded correctly and able to perform their intended purpose.
03. Do not turn until the fork tines are completely removed from the pallet.
The type of damage that is harmful to pallets is stringer damage. These are critical components that hold the pallet together, and failure of the stringers will immediately result in a significant loss of the pallet's load-bearing capacity.
This particular type of damage is usually caused by the forklift operator releasing the load too early and rotating it out of the pallet, which allows the fork tines to impact the stringers, causing strain and damage.
The forklift driver must ensure that the fork tines are completely withdrawn from the pallet before being removed from the pallet.
04. Do not drag or push the pallet
"Drawing" pallets means pushing them across the floor.
The pallet is not designed to be pushed along the ground. Doing so would place undue lateral stress on the pallet and destroy its load-bearing capacity.
Dragging can also cause physical damage to the pallet's components, weakening the pallet's components and increasing the chance of failure.
05. Do not use short fork pallets
A short fork means that the forklift's tines are not fully inserted into the pallet before lifting. Make sure the front of the forklift mast is as close to the pallet and product as possible and that the end of the pallet is on the tines.
The tray is designed to support the weight of the product and requires the tines to be fully inserted. When the tines are not fully inserted, additional pressure is applied to the pallet's deck and nails, thereby stressing the pallet and making failure or damage more likely.
Pallets are also more prone to slipping and falling when forked short, especially when handled in a hurry.
06. Use tray spaces correctly
The tines should insert easily and evenly into the pallet without making contact with any part of the pallet before lifting the load.
When spaced improperly, the tines can strike the stringers, causing damage and impairing the pallet's performance. Ensuring that the tines do not interfere with the middle or outer pallet supports will make your pallets last longer.
Using a pallet with beveled stringers can also reduce this problem, as it helps guide the tines into the pallet.
07. Spread the tines before lifting
Before lifting a pallet, the forklift's tines should be positioned as far apart as possible to spread the load.
If the forklift has the ability to automatically adjust the fork spacing (such as a pitch-adjustable fork), the fork tines can be deployed after entering the pallet.
If tooth spacing must be done manually, it should be spread before entering the pallet. Proper spacing makes the pallet and load more stable and reduces the stress placed on the pallet.
08. Use high-visibility colored tines
Tinting the tops and tips of the fork tines helps the forklift operator see them better through the pallet.
This is useful from a safety perspective, not only because the driver will pay more attention to the reach of the teeth, but also because the teeth will be more visible to people around the forklift.
Additionally, if damage occurs, the paint may rub against the pallet or product and help identify the cause of the damage. It would be much easier to identify the forklift and the operator involved if each forklift had a different color.
09. Stack pallets evenly
Pallets should be stacked evenly. Just as you must ensure that the weight of the product is distributed correctly on the pallet, you should also ensure that the pallets are square and lined up together when stacking.
Doing this prevents uneven weight on certain parts of the pallet, such as corners and lead boards.
Concentrated and square pallet stacks also prevent pallets from tipping and falling, which is a major safety hazard.
10. Organize the warehouse
This method isn't as quick and easy as other methods, but it can be very effective in certain warehouse layouts.
The more open space there is in a warehouse, the less things a forklift can hit. It also controls the risk of pallet damage by reducing the likelihood of bumps and impacts.
Additionally, floors should be clean and free of debris. Forklifts can shake and bounce as they roll over wood chips and other debris. Not only does this put your driver at potential risk, but it also subjects the pallet to sudden pressure as it bounces off the tines. Bouncing also puts pallets and their 名媛直播 at risk of falling, which can result in worker injury.
