Workplace safety is always a top priority. As an employer, your organization is responsible for your staff’s physical and mental well-being. It’s a continuous process, because you can always find something to fine-tune that will provide your employees with an even better working environment. Yet sometimes one big technological shift comes along that changes everything in a single stroke. Electric forklifts are exactly this kind of change. Electrification raises the safety bar.
Safeguarding health at work
It’s no secret that exhaust fumes from combustion engines are a potential health risk to drivers and other staff who get exposed. The advantage of electric forklifts is that they do not produce any fossil exhaust fumes during operation. The lithium-ion battery needs zero fossil fuel, so an electric forklift that uses one produces zero fumes and emits zero emissions from the tailpipe into the atmosphere. If the electricity that powers them comes from renewable sources, electric forklifts are completely clean.
Besides safeguarding your employees, electrification also reduces your carbon footprint due to fossil fuel emissions. Electric forklifts can therefore be an integral part of your company's sustainability goals, and also feature in your employer branding. When you need more staff, your company will be more attractive to potential employees if you are known for your environmental responsibility, your good working conditions and an excellent safety record.
Better ergonomics with electric forklift
Drivers who experince health problems often have prolonged exposure to static load and strain. Many heavy vehicles produce a lot of vibration, which can cause fatigue, stomach problems, headache, loss of balance and "shakiness" both during and after exposure. These symptoms are not unlike those of a boat trip or a long car ride. Fatigue also risks shortening attention span, which makes drivers more prone to incidents while operating a heavy vehicle like a forklift. Electric forklifts produce much less vibration, with smoother and more controlled movement.
Noise is also greatly reduced in electric lift trucks, because electric engines operate at a much lower decibel level. Many drivers who make the change from diesel to electric forklifts can tell you about how relieved they feel now that they don’t have to wear double ear protection anymore during long working hours to protect from the risk of hearing loss, stress, hypertension, irritation, sleep problems, etc.
Find out more about the benefits of electrification
Would you like to learn more about how your company can improve the safety, health and general well-being of your employees by going electric? We invite you to read the white paper from Konecranes Lift Trucks, in which we explain in some detail why you should choose an electric forklift with a lithium-ion battery.
Apart from better productivity, you will see that electrification comes with a long list of other benefits, because our lift trucks are built for your world.
Be part of the electric future
Would you like to learn more about how your company can improve its work environment with Konecranes Lift Trucks? We invite you to read more here and learn how to power your business with electric forklifts.