Make Forklift Safety Fun with VR Training
4x Forklift Safety Tips
Once a year – usually around June 12th – it’s National Forklift Safety Day. How does your company celebrate? Is it with a poster on the wall, leaflets and stickers, or with effective and engaging training? Forklift safety can be a dry topic. As one forklift trainer summed it up:
“Several of my guys call in sick when they have the yearly training day. They’re used to being inside a warehouse and driving at least 8 hours a day. They don’t like to sit still and listen to a trainer.”
1 | Explain How To Improve Forklift Skills And Abilities
It doesn’t help that forklift safety days end up reinforcing the negative qualities of the profession. Instead of focusing on what drivers are doing well or what they can do to improve, safety days focus on what’s not working. Virtual reality forklift training is a great way to this.
2 | Challenge Forklift Operators
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The first thing forklift operators want to know: Does the virtual reality program mimic reality? Most forklift operators are surprised to see their work environment represented digitally. Once the novelty wears off, people start getting training on a virtual simulator by turning it into a game. They want to attain gold medals and maximum scores by demonstrating their knowledge of basic safety rules. Forklift operators are challenged to show their reaction to new or dangerous scenarios that can’t be practiced in real life (e.g. losing control of a truck, avoiding oil spills).
3 | Engage Forklift Drivers
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Drivers become fully engaged in the safety process. Their pride is evident; they can finally demonstrate their forklift mastery to their colleagues. Putting non-drivers from the office on the simulator quickly reveals that the best forklift driving requires great skill. Bystanders admire the top scorers, compare driving behavior and discuss how they would approach various situations.
4 | Give Feedback
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It’s a practical and safe way to challenge people while having them focus on core safety applications. Companies that utilise the forklift simulator in their (re-)training report a clear shift in safety behaviour. Operators became invested in the safety of their workplace and get more involved in suggestions for safety improvements.
Want to learn more about how virtual reality technology can help your business, or how VR forklift simulation can improve your training program and improve operator safety? Contact Forklift-Simulator today.
