Case Study
Workplace design for a forklift driver in a concrete plant

The company is a concrete factory that produces, for example, concrete pipes and concrete and paving blocks.

The man has a paraplegia since a private car accident and is dependent on the use of a wheelchair. His grasping range as well as his mobility are limited, and he is unable to operate controls with his feet.

The man trained as a farmer. After the accident, he looked for a job as a forklift driver at the concrete factory, where he has now been employed for several years.

The employee transports pallets of concrete blocks from the hall to the yard and onto the trucks that pick up the goods. Sometimes the customers just want to take a sample of a paving stone. Then the man returns with a single slab between the fork carriers of his forklift and hands over the sample stone. The employee has a new forklift with air conditioning at his disposal, which has been completely converted to manual operation suitable for disabled people. The forklift truck is equipped with three joysticks with which the numerous functions are controlled. In addition to forward and reverse, these include raising and lowering the forks, spreading and gripping the fork carriage, and six other functions. Because the operator needs the left hand to steer and cannot use the feet, only the right hand is left to operate the side-by-side control sticks.

In order for the employee to be able to transfer independently from his wheelchair to the forklift, it was necessary to build a ramp in the factory hall. The man parks the forklift close to the ramp and simply has to transfer on one level from the seat of the forklift to the seat of the wheelchair and vice versa.

The design suitable for disabled people was funded by the Integration or Inclusion Office. Advice was provided by the Technical Advisory Service of the Integration and Inclusion Office.