Signal Effect
Author: Norbert Böwing
Linde Material Handling wants to reduce the high number of accidents at work with an interactive warning vest for in-house traffic. The company receives the DEKRA Award 2019 for this invention in the category “Safety at Work”.
Every year, the German Social Accident Insurance registers almost 32,000 reportable accidents with industrial trucks. Safety in in-house traffic is therefore an important issue at Linde Material Handling: “We are constantly working on Vision Zero and want employees and operators of our equipment to return home safely in the evening,” explains Christophe Lautray, Managing Director Sales & Service.
The latest development from Linde Material Handling is an interactive warning vest for the protection of persons in in-house traffic. The communication between forklift and vest effectively alerts pedestrians and drivers in dangerous situations. “If a person moves near the forklift truck and it becomes critical, the interactive vest warns that person. The same goes for the driver. Both can react in time and prevent the accident,” reports Benjamin Reis, Manager Safety Sales. The warning is given three times: by the integrated transmitter using vibrations, by acoustic warning tones and by the flashing of the large LED light strips. The LED strip also illuminates reliably in continuous operation. This makes the interactive warning vest much more effective than a normal warning vest. Simplicity and efficiency also make it interesting for other industries. “Wherever people can be overlooked in the middle of vehicles, it is an effective means of increasing attention,” says Reis.