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24th Oct 2020
Propane forklifts are very notorious for producing Carbon Monoxide gas which is very toxic and can be fatal in high concentrations. Inhalation of carbon monoxide normally leads to nausea, chest pain, headaches, coma, and even death in extreme cases. Therefore ensuring the concentrations of this gas are minimized should be one of your top warehouse safety measures. In today's Safety Wednesday article we look at some of these measures.
1. Provide Proper Warehouse Ventilation
The air quality in your warehouse is very important for both the performance and the safety of your staff however this can be affected by poor ventilation. For instance, propane-powered forklifts usually emit carbon-monoxide when the combustion of the propane happens in an environment of low oxygen. In large concentrations, this carbon monoxide can lead to either coma or death as it limits the red blood cells ability to carry oxygen to vital organs. The only way to prevent such incidents is to ensure that your warehouse is fitted with proper ventilation systems built to match the manufacturer's recommendations.
2. Reduce Emissions Through Maintenance
Frequent maintenance of your propane forklift will not only reduce its wear and tear but also uphold warehouse safety. This is because maintenance of a propane forklift normally brings down the levels of poisonous emissions like CO that arise due to poor combustion. In fact in poorly maintained propane forklifts the tailpipe normally have a CO output of between 2-4%. You can bring down the amount of CO emissions by using an exhaust gas CO analyzer. However, for your forklift to maintain its performance while limiting CO emissions you need to ensure the engines are properly maintained.
3. Go For An Electric Forklift
You could also bring down the amount of CO emissions drastically by using electric forklifts. Compared to the propane powered forklifts, since they are powered by electricity, they normally don't come with an exhaust which means they give out zero emissions. They also use batteries which will help cut some costs involved with purchasing fuel. Even though the initial cost of acquiring one can be quite high you have the option of leasing one for your everyday use.
4. Use CO Monitors
Since Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless and colorless it is very hard to detect. However, modern technology can play a major role in ensuring that CO exposure in your warehouse is monitored. One piece of tech that has proved very helpful when it comes to this is the CO monitors. You can set them to monitor CO build up in warehouses which then triggers an inbuilt alarm. This alert is important for the operations manager to take immediate action.
Depending on the nature of the operations of your warehouse you can either go for the portable CO monitors or have some installed on areas where the forklifts frequent.
5. Employee Training on CO Emissions Safety
You should also take a further step to ensure that your workers are fully trained on what to do to monitor and respond to excess CO concentrations. The training should cover the signs and symptoms that can help them note CO poisoning in other workers. It should also cover the measures they should take in the event of CO poisoning. Also it is important to ensure that they are well versed with the CO monitors, what to do when the alarm sounds of and the appropriate response to take during such incidences.
So, in a nutshell, ensure you have proper ventilation systems installed in the warehouse. Create a consistent maintenance schedule for your forklift to reduce CO emissions. If possible you should replace your propane powered forklifts with an electric one. Installing CO monitors within the warehouse and providing employees with training on how to respond to CO exposure is also crucial.
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