Facts About Tilting Cabs

Facts about
Tilting cabs
Scientific research and business implications
Introduction Statistics show that musculoskeletal injuries and

The concept of a tilting cab on a reach truck was disorders in forklift truck drivers are prevalent in the
pioneered by BT in the early 1990s and was first neck, shoulder and lower back. Studies indicated
launched as a product in 1993. The concept was that in particular reach truck drivers are exposed to
fully integrated into the BT Reflex range when first neck loads that put them at risk for developing neck
launched in 1995 and it has been a main feature of and shoulder disorders. Part of the reason for this is
BT Reflex reach trucks since that time. The tilting the fact that the neck is at a rotated angle of more
cab concept remains unique to BT. than 15º for more than 80% of work time, and an
angle greater than 45º for 50% of the time – due to
Scientific research the posture adopted during driving. Add to this the
A key scientific project illustrates the reasons behind effect of pronounced backward inclination of the neck
the development of the tilting cab system. This during higher level stacking and it results in statistics
‘Prodergo Project’ was a joint initiative, initiated in that showed forklift truck drivers are 2½ times more
1996, between BT Products and the Department likely to suffer from neck injuries, compared to other
of Industrial Ergonomics at Linköping University of occupations.
Technology.
Business implications
The project studied the relationship of productivity Of course there are financial risks involved if forklift
and ergonomics in forklift trucks. It centred on the truck drivers are potentially exposed to strain or injury,
‘driver-forklift system’, recognising that the process measured as cost of sickness or, in some cases,
of work involves man and machine working as compensation. However aside from these obvious
one unit, and there was particular focus placed on costs the research undertaken acknowledged
measuring physical stress exerted. Other issues the performance implications for the driver-forklift
included measurement of time to complete a task system. A driver that is under physical strain is
and the ‘driver feeling’ – recognising the fact that likely to be less productive and prone to error. The
a positive driver experience will lead to increased consequence of this is an adverse affect on overall
wellbeing, comfort and confidence. Musculoskeletal productivity and an increase in cost of damage.
disorders were also considered, being symptoms of
a poor driver-forklift system.
www.toyota-forklifts.eu
Facts about Tilting cabs
The unique BT Reflex tilting cab addresses the risk The benefits are clear: reduced demand on the
The Prodergo Project undertook independent tests on operator leading to greater speed and safety,
forklift trucks, including the BT Reflex tilting cab system. significantly reducing the risk of accident and damage
Scientists were able to measure that the system while boosting productivity.
reduces maximum neck extension by 20%, and this
was as a result of tests involving stacking of goods
at heights of just four and six metres. The results for
operations involving greater lift heights would be much
more significant, given the increased amount of time
taken to observe the raising and lowering of loads.
Notably the drivers’ own perception of reduced

exertion was even higher. The project revealed that
drivers’ subjective ratings of perceived exertion were
significantly reduced for the tilting cab by 52%. This
indicates a significant improvement in the areas
of productivity, stress-related errors and potential
healthcare issues.
The tilting cab system allows for programming of the

tilt-back and tilt-forward function, in terms of the fork-
height at which the mechanism applies, which means
it can be tailored to suit driver preferences – further
enhancing the workplace experience, which is key to
staff performance, motivation and retention.
It is inevitable that the tilting cab concept is perceived as

most relevant in higher-level applications. A significant
proportion of TMHE’s high level BT reach truck users
specify the system. What gives greater testament
to the benefits of tilting cabs is that the majority of
companies using the system specify the same type of
truck when subsequently renewing or increasing their
fleets of equipment.
Seeing past the mast

The key benefit of the tilting cab is that it allows the
operator to see the fork tips when they are elevated,
when in a conventional reach truck they would be
obscured by the mast,
requiring the operator to
move his head in order to
achieve the same view.
TP – Technical Publications, Sweden – XXXXXX-040, 1004
TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING EUROPE, MANAGING THE TOYOTA AND BT MATERIALS HANDLING BRANDS IN EUROPE

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Facts about

Scientific research and business implications

Introduction Statistics show that musculoskeletal injuries and

Notably the drivers’ own perception of reduced

The tilting cab system allows for programming of the

It is inevitable that the tilting cab concept is perceived as

Seeing past the mast

TP – Technical Publications, Sweden – XXXXXX-040, 1004

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