According to OSHA, approximately 34,900 serious injuries occur due to forklifts in the United States alone. Despite the advanced safety directives in modern workplaces, forklifts cause 85 deaths and 10,000 accidents every year.
These existing threats call for advanced technological solutions. Proper marking, including safety blue and red lights, is crucial in protecting against these threats. At SharpEagle, we offer a tailored and comprehensive solution for workplace safety, including ATEX-certified, most reliable lighting, cameras, and other solutions. This article will outline how red and blue safety lights can enhance safety at your workplace.
How Red and Blue Forklift Safety Lights contribute to safety
Forklift accidents can occur in industrial environments for various reasons, including limited visibility, crowded workspaces, blind spots, and more. Let's explore each light individually to understand how blue and red forklift safety lights can address such challenges, their features, and other specifications.
Blue Forklift Safety Lights
Forklifts are a primary cause of 10% of workplace accidents - including forklift overturns, collisions, falling loads, pedestrian accidents, and more. Several reasons can contribute to these accidents, including:
- Operator’s inability to spot the approaching intersection
- Visual inaccessibility due to forklift’s blindspots
- Lack of proper monitoring and safety compliance
- Inadequate forklift maintenance
Fortunately, installing blue safety lights on forklifts can eliminate most of these challenges. Forklift blue lights are attached to the front and back of the forklift. As the forklift moves, a bright blue light is emitted, visible up to 10 feet from the vehicle. This sharp beam of light warns the pedestrians and other staff members about the speed and direction of the forklift. These lights also alert pedestrians and other drivers to get out of the way when the forklift operator is driving in reverse.
Features of Blue Safety Lights:
- Casting Aluminium Alloy Housing
Forklift blue safety lights have robust casting aluminium alloy housing, which helps shield delicate electronic parts of the blue safety light from external impacts, vibrations, moisture, and other environmental hazards. This aluminium casting also ensures optimal heat dissipation and guaranteed longevity and corrosion resistance, keeping your lights functional and shining brightly through the toughest industrial settings.
- Tempered Glass Cover
A tempered glass cover makes forklift blue lights resilient, durable, and heat resistant. It adds an extra layer of protection to ensure your lights remain functional under harsh and extreme industrial environments. In case of breakages, tempered glass breaks into small, blunt pieces instead of sharp shards, reducing the risk of injuries.
- High Power LED
High-power LEDs enable bright, intense, and concentrated illumination, making them suitable for industries like oil and gas, mining, chemical manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics. Blue Safety lights are high-power LED lights offering a longer operational lifespan and energy efficiency.
- IP- 67 rating
IP rating stands for Ingress Protection, which rates the protectiveness of the electric device against dust and water. Our forklift blue safety lights have an impressive IP rating of 67 denoting high protection against solids (dust, dirt, particulates) and water when immersed up to 1 meter.
Red Forklift Safety Lights
According to one of the latest reports, 8% of forklift accidents occur due to forklift turnovers involving workers. To keep workers safe, it's crucial to establish and communicate the correct distance that the crew needs to maintain from forklifts. Red forklift safety lights can help you communicate safe distances and other safety protocols, enhancing workplace safety.
Forklift red lights are often attached to the sides of the vehicle to indicate a safe distance between the pedestrian and the forklift. The red light they emit is also known as a halo zone and marks a two—to five-foot boundary that no one should cross. This distance can be adjusted by angling the light according to your facility space situation.
Features that make red forklift safety lights more effective:
- Aluminium die-cast housing with a polycarbonate cover
The red safety lights' aluminium die-cast housing has a robust foundation that enables heat dissipation to keep the lights cool even during prolonged usage. This aluminium casting provides durability and resistance to impacts, vibrations, and harsh environmental conditions. The polycarbonate cover offers excellent optical clarity and protection against dust, debris, and minor impacts. These two features create a functional and reliable safety light system capable of handling rigorous and harsh industrial conditions.
- Stainless steel bracket
With a stainless steel bracket, these red safety lights offer steadfast mounting support, ensuring secure attachment to the forklift. This feature guarantees stability and reliability, essential for the safety of operators and workers in industrial settings.
- 10-80V DC operating voltage
To simplify the specifications, the ‘10-80V DC operating voltage’ denotes that the device is built to operate in the 10-80 volts DC (Direct Current) range. This voltage range makes red forklift safety lights compatible with other power sources. The versatile voltage range simplifies installation procedures, allowing you to integrate the lights into their existing setups quickly and efficiently.
- High power Osram LED 6pcs*3w with 18 W LED power.
This indicates the configuration and power rating of the LED lighting system, which is six individual LEDs, each rated at 3 watts, providing an 18-watt LED Power. The high-power LED enables bright illumination, allowing you to use red forklift safety lights even in extreme low-light conditions. This light is preferred in industries such as commercial and retail, industrial and manufacturing, and automotive, among others.
Guide To Red And Blue Forklift Lighting Options
Forklift ARC Lights
Forklift ARC Lights come with aluminium alloy housing and rubberized wire for efficient operation under hazardous conditions. They feature a high-power LED, which can project the light all the way to the ground. The tempered glass protects the system from internal damage and makes it water, dust, and shockproof. The forklift ARC lights are also built under an ingress IP-67 protection standard.
Forklift Red Danger Light
Forklift Red Danger Lights are the perfect all-in-one solution to keep pedestrians safe in your facility. Their warning system includes high-power LED security lights in an aluminium die-cast housing, with double-insulated wire and a stainless steel bracket, making it capable of withstanding extreme temperatures.
Forklift Laser Light
Forklift Laser lights come with a strong system equipped with a rugged design and laser beam projection, allowing you to indicate your forklift's exact positioning. This will help increase productivity and safety in your facility, simultaneously reducing transport time and the chances of any damage and collision. The forklift laser lights boast a robust design that ensures durability in demanding industrial environments. Additionally, they are engineered for easy maneuvering and supervision, enhancing their usability and effectiveness in improving safety and productivity within your facility.
Forklift Blue Spot Light
The Forklift Blue Spot Light safety device has a rugged design and is ideal for alerting pedestrians of an oncoming vehicle. It is also a perfect choice for signalling the forklift around the corner with to-the-ground beam projection. This blue light emitter is 100% dust, water, and shockproof. Its aluminium alloy housing reduces and mitigates the effects of heat and fire.
Forklift Blue Arrow Light
The Forklift Blue Arrow Light offers clear blue arrow-shaped lighting, a highly visual light that immediately warns pedestrians and warehouse workers. Ideal for use at the rear to signal a reversing forklift, the product comes with 3W LED lights enclosed in an aluminium housing that reduces heat dissipation. The double-insulated rubberized wire and stainless steel bracket are engineered to endure high and low heat extremes.
Forklift Warning Light
Forklift Warning Light is an ideal device to warn pedestrians during forklift operations and avoid the risk of workplace accidents. Equipped with high-powered LED lights, the device is protected with a durable glass cover and a two-year warranty from SharpEagle. This warning light is also equipped with a quakeproof, waterproof, and dustproof body with aluminium alloy casting for effective extreme temperature resistance.
How to install Red & Blue Safety Lights?
The forklift's Red & Blue Zone lights can be mounted to any desired side. You need one for each side where you want to project a safety zone. The tool-free bracket with the kit makes it simple to mount the light to the forklift's overhead guard.
The installation of red and blue safety lights is easy. These forklift lights come with a tool-free bracket that can be used to mount the light to the forklift's upper guard easily.
To know the complete installation of the Red & Blue Safety Lights for your warehouse or manufacturing plant, follow our step-by-step manual:
- Put two-way tape on the bracket's foot. This will reduce the tremors and prevent the lights from rattling.
- Position the light close to the rear of the head guard. Ensure the operator can get in and out of the seat without running into the headlight.
- Set the red zone light feet in place by encircling the overhead guard with the two clamps.
- Using a socket wrench or screwdriver to tighten the clamps.
- Remove excess material from the clamp strap.
- Place the plastic clamp end piece over the strap's sharp end to prevent sharp edges.
- Connect the wire, then use electrical tape to seal the connection.
- As needed, wire into the forklift. The light can accept voltages from 10 to 80V DC.
- Finally, tilt the light to a suitable distance—2-6 feet, depending on the requirement. Tighten down and lubricate the adjuster to prevent them from loosening.
How Red & Blue Safety Lights are Beneficial for Your Business?
Knowing the benefits of red and blue forklift safety lights will help you make an informed purchase decision. It will also enable you to educate your workers and forklift operators about the importance of using these lights and enhance your safety efforts.
- Your forklift operations will be more productive.
Safety and productivity are closely intertwined. With red and blue safety lights, you upgrade the safety at your workplace by minimizing the risk of accidents. When accidents are reduced, there is no disruption in the workflow.
Forklift operators can continue their operations smoothly and move the load effectively at a given time. Hence, your operations remain productive.
- You can proactively reduce the risk of legal liabilities.
Accidents involving forklifts can result in severe legal liabilities. Implementing forklift safety solutions is a proactive way to avoid the risk of these liabilities. Red and blue forklift safety lights strengthen your safety efforts by giving you an edge to safeguard your company’s financial interests and reputation.
- It will make your workplace OSHA safety-compliant.
OSHA mandates using blue safety lights in dimly lit areas and while operating a forklift at night. Installing these lights in your forklifts means meeting OSHA lighting standards for safety. By adhering to regulatory standards, you mitigate the risk of fines or penalties for non-compliance, thus protecting your employees and assets. Moreover, creating a safety-compliant workspace protects your employees and assets and demonstrates your commitment to responsible business practices. Thus, safety compliance attracts top talent and improves public perception, fosters positive relationships with stakeholders, and aligns your company with valuable core values, further strengthening your brand reputation in the industry.
Driver’s Instructions to Boost Safety with Forklift Safety Lights
Just installing red & blue safety lights is not enough to make your operations safe. Drivers should also know how to use the safety features effectively. Guide the forklift operators with the following instructions to boost safety with forklift safety lights.
- Keep the beam of red/blue light on ground level.
While using warning lights, point the beam towards the ground to ensure that your worker’s visibility is not impaired due to the bright light. Maintaining this practice contributes significantly to accident prevention and overall workplace safety standards.
- Stay alert and avoid distractions.
Stay aware of the industrial surroundings, especially while driving the forklift through busy work areas. Remember to give visual cues with red and blue safety lights. If the forklift operator does not understand how to operate a red/blue forklift safety light, ensure to train him in its application and create a norm of regularly using it at the workplace. Maintain high alertness and awareness of the risks associated with forklift operations. This will encourage the drivers to carefully assess their routes and adapt their driving techniques to ensure maximum safety.
- Do regular maintenance checks.
Inspect the red and blue safety lights regularly to ensure they function correctly. Seek maintenance immediately if you find any issues or malfunctions. Prompt and timely action can prevent mishaps and disruptions. Therefore, implement a regular inspection schedule for the forklifts and ensure timely maintenance to uphold safety standards.
- Don’t overload the forklift.
Overloading a forklift is dangerous as it can be risky for the operator and the forklift alike. Sometimes due to overloading, the load could fall off, and the operator could lose control of the forklift. Additionally, it creates a blind spot for the operators. This could be threatening to pedestrians as the forklift might run over them. Moreover, heavy loads can hamper the regular speed of forklifts, and operators may not be able to make accurate judgments. So, follow a standard for loading of forklifts to avoid damage to the forklift and injuries for the operator and pedestrians.
Conclusion
Equipping your forklifts with red and blue safety lights can significantly reduce the risk of accidents in your workplace. These lights enhance visibility and warn pedestrians about the movement of forklifts. However, whether these lights alone are sufficient to prevent accidents depends on your workplace and the nature of your operations.
So, to ensure comprehensive safety in your facility, consider implementing a complete safety solution tailored to your specific needs. At SharpEagle, we offer expert consultation services to help you choose the right safety solutions for your business.
Related FAQs
What are the red and blue lights on a forklift?
The red and blue lights on a forklift are safety lights designed to enhance visibility and prevent accidents in manufacturing units, transportation facilities, construction sites, and industries that use forklifts for daily operations. The blue lights are typically mounted on the front and back of the forklift, while red lights are positioned on the sides. Both the lights enhance workplace safety and reduce collisions occurring due to forklifts.
What lights are required on a forklift?
According to OSHA's powered industrial truck standard, you need headlights, tail, and warning lights. Headlights provide illumination for the operator to see clearly in low-light conditions, while tail lights indicate the rear of the forklift to other workers. OSHA regulations also specify these lights' minimum brightness and placement requirements to ensure adequate safety measures at your workplace.
What does the red light mean on a forklift?
The red light on a forklift indicates a "halo zone" around the vehicle. It means that the workers should not enter that zone as there is a risk of heavy objects falling off the forklift and causing injury. It warns the workers to stay clear of the indicated boundary line. Hence, it reduces the risk of injuries for workers.
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