Protect the operator – your greatest asset

Over the life of your reach truck, you will spend more on your operator’s wages than anything else and with good reason. These individuals determine whether your operations are safe, efficient and productive. 

Ensuring your reach truck offers a good place to work is key to this, but too many managers dismiss a good operator compartment as a luxury item. That’s a big mistake.

Strain-related injuries can have a long-term impact on your drivers and your business. With sick pay and – potentially – compensation to think of, good ergonomic design makes economic sense. 

For reach truck operators, normally cramped in a cab, overstretching for levers and excessive cab vibration mean that the neck, shoulders, upper back and forearms are all particularly susceptible. 

Wherever possible, the driving position should be fully adjustable and supported, as is the full hand and forearm support on many Mitsubishi products – including SENSiA. This family of reach trucks features a full-length, fully adjustable armrest. Also look for trucks with fully adjustable seats and save set-up time by choosing a truck which remembers your drivers’ personal settings. 

Reach truck operators mount and dismount their machines more than 100 times a shift. This can really take its toll on their joints. Our designers worked to minimise this through simple features, like a wide non-slip intermediate step – just 415 mm above the floor – which allows drivers easy on/off access. This, together with a lower seating position of just 1,030mm and good grab handles work to reduce physical effort enormously.

Uncomfortable drivers are distracted drivers and they get tired more quickly too. Their lack of focus reduces performance, while increasing the risk of an accident.

Controls should be in easy arm’s reach, so operators can keep their minds on the job and their eyes on the environment. On our SENSiA family of reach trucks, designers have paid attention to the fatigue associated with unnecessary movements. By keeping them to a minimum, SENSiA ensures drivers feel less stressed and fresher for longer.  

Take its controls for example. While SENSiA’s fingertip controls give precise movement, its clever foldaway steering wheel console brings this control close to the operator’s left hand and, crucially the elbow eliminates any unnatural angles so cutting out repetitive strain injuries.

Similarly, its pedals are designed to work in partnership with the driver. Their auto-style arrangement means that drivers can act on instinct. What’s more, they’re low angle means that operators can rest their ankles while driving – again minimising strain.

Visibility is a factor in up to 80% of accidents, so it’s essential that trucks give clear, wide-open, all-round views and benefit from a high-vision mast, of course. The Mitsubishi Visionmast gives operators unrivalled forward vision when the truck is travelling with its fork trailing.

Good ergonomics helps here, too. Drivers under stress are at greater risk of an accident. Since two-thirds of forklift accident victims are colleagues on foot, helping the driver to focus and stay alert makes work safer for everyone.

Reducing accident risk does more than protect your workforce. If it happens often enough, that minor damage to trucks, racking and stock quickly adds up to a huge – and largely uninsured – expense.

Working in very tight and confined spaces, it is vital to consider the space within your truck’s compartment to ensure it is big enough to protect all of your driver. 

Small compartments can mean that your operator’s shoulder, arm or leg is not protected by the cabin on a regular basis – making it vulnerable to trapping or scraping against racking and walls. 

In developing SENSiA, our designers looked for ways to create the maximum sized operator compartment so that limbs were totally protected – even during narrow aisle operations. 

They’ve also been clever with the grab bars. They do much more than simply provide extra support during mounting/dismounting: they actually protect the operator’s left shoulder when seated.