The snow has already started to fall, and with it comes a renewed focus on keeping your business running throughout the winter months. If you run a warehouse, distribution centre or other industrial business that requires you to have forklift trucks on site, then you are in luck – you can get a simple to use attachment for your equipment that converts it from a purely lifting/moving machine, into a heavy-duty snow plough.
Here is our handy guide to what these attachments are, how they are used and why you should definitely get one as part of your winter arsenal.
What is a snow plough forklift attachment?
These tools are attachments that fit onto your forklift truck and can be used to plough snow. The snow plough forklift truck attachment will usually consist of a blade part (you can choose the size best suited to your requirements) that will be fixed at an angle to ensure that snow is pushed away. Added to this, there will be a rubber strip that prevents wear to the blade and prolongs its lifespan – you should be able to remove and replace this rubber strip as and when you need to.
The blade will be mounted to fork pockets, and will then tighten on with butterfly bolts. A lot of forklift attachments are built to fit a large range of different truck sizes, but make sure before you buy that the pockets are the right size and distance apart for your trucks.
How are snow plough attachments used?
Once you have the attachment safely mounted and secured to your truck, it is simply a case of driving to your snowy space, lowering the forks to ground level and starting to work your way across the space. The snow will accumulate against the blade and then be pushed away to one side, allowing you to very quickly clear roads, paths and car parks, for example.
Why should you get a snow plough attachment?
It is your duty as an employer to ensure the health and safety of your staff and any site visitors as much as you can. As slips and falls are one of the most common types of workplace injury in the United Kingdom, keeping your paths, roads and car parks clear of snow and ice can be considered a key part of your health and safety responsibilities. Anyone driving, cycling or walking around your site should be able to do so with a minimum risk of falling – ploughing first thing in the morning and throughout the day as necessary makes this easy for you to achieve.
You might consider this type of attachment an unnecessary expense – after all, winter only lasts a few months, and snowy days are not so frequent in a lot of places. You’ll be happy to know that you can also use a lot of top-quality snow plough attachments as yard scrapers – giving them a handy dual purpose and keeping your site clean, tidy and safe throughout the year.
