Innovative forklift safety system increases workplace safety at PAWI in Winterthur

More safety through clear traffic regulation in production

In production environments, pedestrians and forklifts move at the same time. Especially at crossings, corners or heavily used areas, situations can quickly become unclear. In such areas, the risk of accidents increases.

To further improve workplace safety, PAWI installed a new forklift safety system in the production hall in Winterthur. The system detects potential hazards at an early stage and automatically reduces risks.

Visual warning signals increase awareness

The safety system projects warning symbols onto the floor when a forklift approaches a danger zone. Pedestrians recognise the forklift traffic early and can adjust their behaviour accordingly.

This visual support improves orientation in the production area and reduces the risk of unexpected encounters between people and vehicles.

Photos: visual representation of the technology

Automatic speed reduction in danger zones

In addition to the visual warning, the system automatically reduces the speed of the forklifts when a vehicle enters a defined safety zone.

An impulse system communicates directly with the forklift. When the system detects a danger zone, it automatically limits the driving speed. The driver cannot override this limitation.

This technical solution ensures that forklifts always move at reduced speed in critical areas.

Jürg Trachsler, Head of Logistics & Materials Management and member of the management board of PAWI Packaging Schweiz AG, explains that no accident has occurred so far, but prevention always has top priority.

The new safety system for forklifts was already reviewed during a SUVA audit and received positive feedback.