April 2015

Proper maintenance schedules are essential for getting the most out of each lift truck battery. Fortunately, recent advances in battery handling equipment can make maintaining the fleet remarkably quick, simple, and cost-effective. This is especially true for battery watering practices, which are crucial for maximizing battery life spans and avoiding early replacements.

Regular battery washing is an essential part of fleet maintenance, but the ideal wash equipment will vary from operation to operation. Choosing the right equipment will allow for a better return on investment, and in some cases, longer-lasting equipment.

For any warehouse that uses forklift trucks as parts of its day-to-day operations, the lift truck battery room plays an integral role. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that each battery room contain certain safety features and installations. These range from battery room ventilation to equipment for flushing and neutralizing spilled electrolyte.

OSHA also mandates that all forklift battery handling areas be outfitted with acid-resistant flooring. Forklift batteries contain a number of corrosive materials, so a floor surface that won't corrode or lose its integrity in the event of a chemical spill is absolutely essential. Acid-resistant flooring helps protect the environment by preventing corrosive chemicals from leeching through a warehouse floor. It also protects battery room personnel by ensuring the integrity of the battery room floor surface. Spilled battery acid could create divots in a non-acid-resistant floor surface. Those divots could be problematic for battery extractors, making battery change-outs difficult and unnecessarily dangerous.