Static Charges: An overlooked hazard in forklift operations

Static Charges: An overlooked hazard in forklift operations

ADVERTORIAL

If you ever shuffled across a carpeted floor in your socks and then felt a little “zap” when you touched a metal doorknob, you’ve experienced the shocking effect of static buildup.

Now imagine a static charge that builds up to as much as 50,000 V, and you start to appreciate the hazards that many forklift operators face every day.

Static BuildUp Static electricity is generated when two dissimilar materials are rubbed together. Insulating materials, such as rubber, are the most prone to accumulating static until it makes contact with a more conductive material. Forklifts using black tires generate static but they’re continuously releasing their potential charge because of the carbon black – a conductive material.

The problem with non-marking tires Some applications, however, require non-marking tires: Forklifts that operate indoors, on warehouse floors with light-coloured coating and surface finish or in food processing plants, for instance, are often fitted with non-marking tires.

Non-marking tires don’t have this anti-static property since they contain silica in place of carbon black. Where carbon black is conductive, silica is an insulator. As a result, static generated in the tires is stored rather than dissipated. The static continues to build up in the forklift to potentially hazardous levels – enough to spark up a fire in the truck, to wipe out electronic circuits, or to knock down a person who inadvertently touches the equipment.

Makeshift solutions The industry has tried makeshift methods of dealing with problematic static. Some forklift operators will attempt, among other things, to ground the vehicle by raising the forks or attachment, and slamming it onto the floor. But grounding the attachment does generally not ground the accumulated electricity, no matter how hard you hit it.

More commonly, users will attach chains or grounding straps under the truck. But again, their effectiveness is limited. Drivetrains are still insulated from the frame by rubber mounts and bushings. Meantime, the straps and chains tend to gather dust and debris over time that gradually insulates them from the ground, wear down or break off.

Solving it at the source

Like most safety issues, the solution to hazards of static electricity must be addressed at multiple levels. The real opportunity for safety is in the hands of tire manufacturers to respond with a new solution. Specialized anti-static tires are available for certain applications, but there have been no non-marking anti-static (NMAS) tires available until just this year.

Extensive research and testing has led Camso to come up with a true breakthrough in tire design with the launch of the first patented anti-static forklift tire to resolve the important safety issue of static electricity generated by non-marking tires. Indeed, the Solideal PON 775 NMAS provides a solution to an existing problem that had never really been addressed before.

NEW

The world’s first tire to prevent static build-up

SOLIDEAL PON 775 NMAS BY CAMSO

This innovative press-on tire solves the issue of static build-up generated by non-marking tires, by continuously grounding the truck through the tires thanks to its patented anti-static technology. It eliminates the risk of safety issue, facility hazards and truck damage.

18 February 2019 Material Handling Network www.mhnetwork.com