Carbon monoxide poisoning in warehouses is more common than you might think. And since CO is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, it’s difficult to detect when high levels of it are present (learn 3 Ways to Manage Carbon Monoxide Risks at Loading Docks).
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to reduce CO emissions from your forklifts.
Tune up the Engines Regularly
Properly tuned engines will emit about 0.4% CO in the tailpipe exhaust, while poorly tuned ones will emit a lot more (up to 10%).
A study from Michigan OSHA found that over half of forklifts
tested were emitting greater than 5% CO, which can be extremely dangerous for workers.
Engines should be tuned regularly, including measuring the CO emissions (which many technicians aren’t trained to do). You can control exhaust emissions by adjusting the air and fuel mixture and ensuring proper engine power and fuel consumption.
Use Catalytic Converters
Catalytic converters help reduce the amount of CO in exhaust gas by converting the harmful carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, and nitrogen oxide emissions into less harmful nitrogen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.
Always use three-way catalytic converters, They will reduce CO emissions by 70 to 90 percent.
And remember that this solution is not a substitute for ensuring that your engines are properly tuned.
Eliminate Combustion
The best course of action is to try to eliminate internal combustion forklifts altogether. Many warehouses are switching to electric vehicles, which solves the problem by removing the CO source.