Damaged pallets reduce productivity and increase costs, and are often caused by forklifts.
Pallets and their repair costs can add up over time, impacting your profits.
Although they may be damaged in many different ways, improper handling of forklifts is a common cause.
Fortunately, many situations that cause damage to pallets can be avoided through careful handling and intensive training.
1. Reduce vehicle speed.
This is one of the most important tips for limiting forklift damage and is related to many of the other tips you'll read about below.
Slowing down gives the forklift operator more reaction time to properly handle the pallet and reduces the chances of short forks, improper tine spacing, and other errors.
Additionally, slowing down prevents the mast, tines, or other parts of the lift from striking the pallet or the product it carries. Reducing rushing and using the forklift more gently will also extend the life of the forklift.
The most important times to slow down are when picking up and setting down loads. This is also crucial when stacking or forking pallets.
2. Use the Right Pallet
Does the pallet have adequate load capacity?
Small differences in the pallet's material, size, and structural layout can make a big difference in its load capacity.
Overloaded pallets or the wrong pallets are more likely to break, crack, or chip, and are more susceptible to damage from improper forklift handling.
Weight distribution is another important factor in using the right pallet. Even if the pallet meets the load capacity, uneven weight distribution can affect performance. Improper weight distribution can stress the pallet in ways it wasn't designed for, leading to failure.
Using a Pallet Design System (PDS) can help ensure the pallet is properly loaded and capable of performing its intended purpose.
3. Do not turn until the fork tines are completely out of the pallet
A particularly detrimental type of damage to pallets is damage to the stringers. These are the critical components that hold the pallet together, and failure of the stringers will immediately result in a significant loss of the pallet's load-bearing capacity.
This particular type of damage is often caused by the forklift driver releasing the load too early and swinging out of the pallet, causing the forks to strike the stringers, leading to strain and damage.
Forklift drivers must ensure that the forks are fully withdrawn from the pallet before swinging out.
4. Do not drag or push the pallet
"Dragging" pallets means pushing them across the floor.
Pallets are not designed to be pushed along the floor. Doing so would introduce undue lateral stress into the pallet, compromising its load-bearing capacity.
Dragging can also physically damage the pallet's components, weakening them and increasing the chance of failure.
5. Do not use short fork pallets
A short fork occurs when the forklift's tines are not fully inserted into the pallet before lifting. Ensure the front of the forklift mast is as close to the pallet and product as possible, with the end of the pallet resting on the tines.
Pallets are designed to support the weight of the product, requiring the tines to be fully inserted. When the tines are fully inserted, additional pressure is applied to the pallet's deck and nails, which in turn stresses the pallet and increases the likelihood of failure or damage.
A pallet is also more likely to slip and fall when short fork, especially when handled in a hurry.
6. Use pallet spaces correctly
The tines should insert easily and evenly into the pallet, without contacting any part of the pallet before lifting the load.
When improperly spaced, the tines can strike the stringers, causing damage and compromising the pallet's performance. Ensuring that the tines do not interfere with the center or outer pallet supports will extend the life of your pallet.
Using pallets with beveled stringers can also reduce this problem, as it helps guide the tines into the pallet.
7. Spread out the tines before lifting
Before lifting a pallet, the forklift's tines should be positioned as far apart as possible to distribute the load.
If the forklift has automatic fork spacing (such as with adjustable fork distancers), the tines can be deployed after the forklift enters the pallet.
If manual tines spacing is necessary, they should be deployed before entering the pallet. Proper spacing provides greater stability for the pallet and load and reduces stress on the pallet.
8. With high visibility colored tines
Coloring the tops and tips of the fork tines helps forklift drivers better see them through pallets.
This is beneficial from a safety perspective, not only because the driver will be more aware of the tines' reach, but also because those around the forklift will be more able to see the tines.
Furthermore, if damage occurs, the paint can rub against the pallet or product and help identify the cause. If each forklift uses a different color, identifying the forklift and the operator involved will be much easier.
9. Evenly stack pallets
Pallets should be stacked evenly. Just as it's important to ensure the product's weight is properly distributed across the pallet, pallets should also be square and aligned when stacking.
This prevents uneven weight from being placed on certain parts of the pallet, such as corners and lead panels.
A centered and square pallet stack also prevents the pallet from tipping and falling, a major safety hazard.
10. Organizing the warehouse
This method isn't as quick or easy as other methods, but it can be very effective in certain warehouse layouts.
The more open space within the warehouse, the less the forklift can hit. This also reduces the risk of pallet damage by reducing the likelihood of bumps and knocks.
In addition, the floor should be clean and free of debris. Forklifts can jolt and bounce when they run over wood chips and other debris. This not only puts your driver at risk but also puts the pallet under sudden stress when it bounces on the fork tines. Bounces also put the pallet and its contents at risk of falling, potentially causing worker injury.
Damaged pallets reduce productivity and increase costs, and are often caused by forklifts.
Pallets and their repair costs can add up over time, impacting your profits.
Although they may be damaged in many different ways, improper handling of forklifts is a common cause.
Fortunately, many situations that cause damage to pallets can be avoided through careful handling and intensive training.
1. Reduce vehicle speed.
This is one of the most important tips for limiting forklift damage and is related to many of the other tips you'll read about below.
Slowing down gives the forklift operator more reaction time to properly handle the pallet and reduces the chances of short forks, improper tine spacing, and other errors.
Additionally, slowing down prevents the mast, tines, or other parts of the lift from striking the pallet or the product it carries. Reducing rushing and using the forklift more gently will also extend the life of the forklift.
The most important times to slow down are when picking up and setting down loads. This is also crucial when stacking or forking pallets.
2. Use the Right Pallet
Does the pallet have adequate load capacity?
Small differences in the pallet's material, size, and structural layout can make a big difference in its load capacity.
Overloaded pallets or the wrong pallets are more likely to break, crack, or chip, and are more susceptible to damage from improper forklift handling.
Weight distribution is another important factor in using the right pallet. Even if the pallet meets the load capacity, uneven weight distribution can affect performance. Improper weight distribution can stress the pallet in ways it wasn't designed for, leading to failure.
Using a Pallet Design System (PDS) can help ensure the pallet is properly loaded and capable of performing its intended purpose.
3. Do not turn until the fork tines are completely out of the pallet
A particularly detrimental type of damage to pallets is damage to the stringers. These are the critical components that hold the pallet together, and failure of the stringers will immediately result in a significant loss of the pallet's load-bearing capacity.
This particular type of damage is often caused by the forklift driver releasing the load too early and swinging out of the pallet, causing the forks to strike the stringers, leading to strain and damage.
Forklift drivers must ensure that the forks are fully withdrawn from the pallet before swinging out.
4. Do not drag or push the pallet
"Dragging" pallets means pushing them across the floor.
Pallets are not designed to be pushed along the floor. Doing so would introduce undue lateral stress into the pallet, compromising its load-bearing capacity.
Dragging can also physically damage the pallet's components, weakening them and increasing the chance of failure.
5. Do not use short fork pallets
A short fork occurs when the forklift's tines are not fully inserted into the pallet before lifting. Ensure the front of the forklift mast is as close to the pallet and product as possible, with the end of the pallet resting on the tines.
Pallets are designed to support the weight of the product, requiring the tines to be fully inserted. When the tines are fully inserted, additional pressure is applied to the pallet's deck and nails, which in turn stresses the pallet and increases the likelihood of failure or damage.
A pallet is also more likely to slip and fall when short fork, especially when handled in a hurry.
6. Use pallet spaces correctly
The tines should insert easily and evenly into the pallet, without contacting any part of the pallet before lifting the load.
When improperly spaced, the tines can strike the stringers, causing damage and compromising the pallet's performance. Ensuring that the tines do not interfere with the center or outer pallet supports will extend the life of your pallet.
Using pallets with beveled stringers can also reduce this problem, as it helps guide the tines into the pallet.
7. Spread out the tines before lifting
Before lifting a pallet, the forklift's tines should be positioned as far apart as possible to distribute the load.
If the forklift has automatic fork spacing (such as with adjustable fork distancers), the tines can be deployed after the forklift enters the pallet.
If manual tines spacing is necessary, they should be deployed before entering the pallet. Proper spacing provides greater stability for the pallet and load and reduces stress on the pallet.
8. With high visibility colored tines
Coloring the tops and tips of the fork tines helps forklift drivers better see them through pallets.
This is beneficial from a safety perspective, not only because the driver will be more aware of the tines' reach, but also because those around the forklift will be more able to see the tines.
Furthermore, if damage occurs, the paint can rub against the pallet or product and help identify the cause. If each forklift uses a different color, identifying the forklift and the operator involved will be much easier.
9. Evenly stack pallets
Pallets should be stacked evenly. Just as it's important to ensure the product's weight is properly distributed across the pallet, pallets should also be square and aligned when stacking.
This prevents uneven weight from being placed on certain parts of the pallet, such as corners and lead panels.
A centered and square pallet stack also prevents the pallet from tipping and falling, a major safety hazard.
10. Organizing the warehouse
This method isn't as quick or easy as other methods, but it can be very effective in certain warehouse layouts.
The more open space within the warehouse, the less the forklift can hit. This also reduces the risk of pallet damage by reducing the likelihood of bumps and knocks.
In addition, the floor should be clean and free of debris. Forklifts can jolt and bounce when they run over wood chips and other debris. This not only puts your driver at risk but also puts the pallet under sudden stress when it bounces on the fork tines. Bounces also put the pallet and its contents at risk of falling, potentially causing worker injury.
