Forklift Safety Resources
Your Resource for Lift Truck Safety
Crown helps you maintain a safe operation with equipment designed around your operator and in accordance with industry standards. We want to help ensure all of your employees go home safely at the end of each workday.
Safe By Design
Crown forklifts are designed with safety in mind. We aim to help you maintain a safe operation with equipment designed around your operator.
Seat Restraints
All Crown sit-down models incorporate restraint systems designed to help keep the operator in the running lines of the lift truck in case of tip over. These restraints have proven to reduce injuries if properly utilised and maintained.
To accommodate various application and operator needs, Crown has various seat and restraint system options available for current Crown models. These include suspension seats and hip restraint systems.
Stand-up Rider Entry Bar
All stand up rider counterbalance and reach trucks include an entry bar at the opening to the operator compartment. This feature has been standard equipment since 1998. If the bar is depressed, an alarm will sound a warning and travel speed is reduced. The bar is designed to keep operators from operating the lift truck with their foot resting outside the running lines of the lift truck.
The entry bar can be added to some earlier models of stand-up riders.
Stand-up Rider Posts and Extensions
All current Crown stand-up rider counterbalance and straddle lift trucks have backrest extensions that are 1460 mm from the floor in the area behind the operator. Third corner posts are also standard.
Options and Accessories
Crown offers forklift safety options and accessories for your specialised needs. Optional safety accessories include:
Presence Warning Devices
Flashing or strobe lights and/or travel alarms are sometimes used to emphasise the presence of a lift truck in the area. Flashing lights are standard on all Crown elevated operator models such as stockpickers and turret trucks. Flashing lights can be ordered as an option on other Crown models and are also available as an add-on kit for field installation.
Safety considerations and dangers associated with flashing lights and spotlights include:
- Multiple lights can cause confusion
- Workers ignore the lights after day-in and day-out exposure
- Operator may transfer the responsibility for “looking out” to the pedestrians
Overhead Guard Covers
These are sometimes added in areas where there is a risk of very small items falling through the spaces on overhead guards. Covers may include expanded metal or Lexan.
Guard covers may restrict visibility due to glare, age, infrequent cleaning and maintenance.
Wheel and Tyre Options
Tyre compound type, hardness and tread pattern can affect traction, braking, stability, ride and longevity. Travel distance, load weight, floor and sealer type, dock use, freezer use, wet floor use, lift truck stability requirements, etc. all affect the combination of compound, hardness and tread pattern needed to optimise performance and life.
Crown provides a wide variety of wheel and tyre options to accommodate your specific application needs. These include a wide variety of hardness and compound options and a wide variety of "siped" or cut tread patterns to provide better traction and braking in wet or slippery environments.
Lift Limit Devices
Lift limiting devices can be installed on most Crown models to limit lift heights to prevent contact with overhead obstructions or fixtures such as mezzanines, conveyors, sprinklers, gas lines, lighting, etc. These devices may be permanent or may be equipped with operator-controlled overrides to allow higher lift in clear areas. They may also be mechanical or electrical and on some models may be set by using the forklift’s system software.
Safety Resources
Crown is dedicated to helping you create a safe operating environment. Use the resources below to help promote a culture of safety in your business and among your employees.
Operator manuals
If your operator manual is lost or missing, download an electronic version or contact your local Crown branch for a printed replacement.
Service manuals
Parts and service manuals can be ordered through your local Crown branch.
Safety label kits
Warning and caution labels on our material handling equipment alert both operators and service technicians of important lift truck usage and service guidelines. A properly maintained lift truck has all of its safety labels and decals intact. Crown provides replacement safety label kits for current models.
Operator daily checklists
It’s important that every operator performs a forklift safety check before beginning work. Crown’s operator daily checklists can be ordered through your local branch.