by Trey Barber, on June 9, 2023 at 11:20 AM
Since entering common use in 2002, backup cameras have reduced collision rates by approximately 17%. Considering Americans are involved in over 10 million automotive collisions each year, that's an enormous reduction. What if you could bring that kind of accident reduction to your forklift fleet? A 17% reduction in accidents could save your business millions and make your warehouse safer than ever before.
With the Toyota SEnS, you can. This smart pedestrian warning system brings unprecedented situational awareness to your forklift operators. It puts safety back into the hands of your fleet. Read on to learn more about pedestrian warning systems and why SEnS is the best choice for your Toyota fleet.
What Is the Benefit of a Pedestrian Warning System?
Thousands of pedestrians are stuck by forklifts every year. In 2020 alone, 7,290 people were injured in forklift accidents, and that was the lowest forklift injury rate the United States had seen since 2016. Yet, the sad fact is every forklift accident is preventable. But adding a pedestrian warning system is a decisive step toward reducing your accident rate to zero.
Active Systems Beat Passive Systems
There are lots of safety mechanisms on the market that improve pedestrian awareness. Blue spotlights and red side lights make forklifts more visible to pedestrians working in the area. However, passive systems like these do nothing to alert the only person who can stop the forklift’s movement: the forklift operator.
Pedestrian warning systems, like the Toyota SEnS, are active systems. They sense pedestrians and objects around the forklift and proactively alert the operator. This means forklift motion can be slowed or arrested even before the operator spots the pedestrian and thus prevents an accident before human senses identify a problem.
Cost-Effective Safety Solutions
The average victim of a forklift accident loses 17 days of work, costing their employer $42,000 in fines and medical expenses. In the case of fatalities, the cost rises to $1,340,000 on average.
Pedestrian warning systems are inexpensive compared to those figures and the emotional toll of an accident. This is especially true considering the Toyota SEnS is available as an after-market addition to your existing forklifts. So there is no need to replace your fleet to benefit from an industry-leading pedestrian warning system.
Why Does SEnS Make Good Sense?
The Toyota Smart Environment Sensor (SEnS) is a collision avoidance system designed specifically for Toyota Forklifts. It can detect and differentiate between objects and pedestrians up to 32 feet away. It alerts the operator to a hazard with a flashing warning light and buzzer. The intensity of the flashing and buzzer increases with proximity to the pedestrian.
This deceptively simple system sets the Toyota SEnS apart from the competition in a few key areas. First, the 32-foot detection range is farther than the competing models. This decreases the likelihood of a collision by allowing the operator more time to respond.
Second, many other pedestrian warning systems rely on color codes and gentle chime-style alerts to indicate the presence of a pedestrian. These chimes can be challenging to hear in noisy environments, and color codes are easy to miss if the operator isn't expecting the appearance of a pedestrian. The SEnS system's buzzer and flashing light combination make the warning difficult to miss, no matter the working conditions.
Finally, SEnS comes ready to install on your favorite new and existing Toyota models. You can easily install the Smart Environment Sensor on any of these Toyota Forklifts:
- 3-Wheel and Core Electric
- Core, Mid, and Large IC Cushion and Pneumatic
- Box Car and Paper Roll Special
What Is the SEnS+ Advantage?
SEnS+ is an advanced technology that enhances pedestrian warning. This system incorporates all the features of SEnS and improves them with forklift operation integration. For example, SEnS+ automatically limits travel speeds and applies regenerative braking when pedestrians are in the travel path. Furthermore, when traveling at slower speeds, SEnS+ automatically reduces unnecessary notifications so that the operator doesn’t dismiss any alert as unimportant. Finally, SEnS+ automatically takes turning speed and radius into account, alerting the operator to hazards ahead while ignoring those outside the travel path.
SEnS+ is only available on new Toyota 3-wheel and core electric forklifts. So if you are in the market for your next forklift, considering models already integrated with SEnS+ is worthwhile.
Get Proactive About Forklift Pedestrian Safety
Forklift accidents are one of the most preventable workplace accidents. They cost you and your team days of difficulty and thousands of dollars in damages. Don't let forklift collisions happen in your facility. Instead, invest in a pedestrian warning system for your forklift fleet. To learn more about the Toyota SEnS, SEnS+, or other pedestrian warning systems, contact us online or at one of our Washington State locations.
Pasco 509-547-7413
Wenatchee 509-663-9009
Yakima 509-457-5137
Further Reading:
Pedestrian Alert Systems for Your Forklift
5 Forklift Operator Bad Habits It's Time to Break
The Pros and Cons of Electric Forklifts
