Human error and language barriers impact warehouse safety

It may seem impossible to translate all literature for employees facing a language barrier, but you can. Fact is,  a large void in safety  exists if checklists and safety compliance information isn’t accessible in other languages. Simply put, telematic language barriers impact warehouse safety.

Human error occurs more often than we realize and facilities that reduce or limit inaccuracies, operator complacency and unsafe actions or behaviors reduce the occurrence of injuries and costly mistakes.  But how do limit risk if there is a language barrier?

English may be the second language for many of your employees, so communications can be misinterpreted. In the United States, 37.6 million people speak Spanish and 1 in 5 Americans don’t speak English at home. When the subject is safety protocols on the job, misinterpretation can be dangerous and costly.

Software solutions bridge language barriers

Advances in telematic software today deliver documentation in multiple languages, so employees can quickly and readily find the answer they need to operate equipment and lift trucks in a safe and compliant manner.

For example, you can go back and forth within your team for various projects and get full translations for all the manuals and user guides required for safe operation of equipment. But not all software platforms can do this. It pays to do your homework before you choose your next upgrade.

Multiple language communications

To ensure compliance with safety regulations and standards in the United States, Canada, and international countries, TotalTrax Inc., for example, turned to MadTranslations’ translation and localization services to help them deliver accurate, safety-compliant documentation to their users.

Totaltrax’s SX200 software and documentation are available in multiple languages with MadTranslations, ensuring that all employees can read and comprehend accurate translations of product UI and documentation in multiple languages.

This delivers:

• Compliance with Safety Regulations: With accurately translated content from MadTranslations, TotalTrax can meet the complex safety regulations in different countries.
• Efficiency: Project files are sent directly to MadTranslations for speedy translation and localization.
• Customer Service & Project Management: Prompt responses from dedicated project managers allow for accurate translations to ensure quality and quickly address any new project initiatives.

You can’t avoid a risk if you don’t know it exists. If a forklift operator ignores parts of a safety checklist every day because he doesn’t understand what it says, managers may not even know this is happening. This increases the risk of injury to anyone working in the area, including the operator.

Software platforms, like Totaltrax’s SX200 can be accessed in Canadian French, Spanish, and German, which allows forklift operators to read the safety checklists in a language familiar to them.  This allows them to effectively complete the OSHA required checklist before they operate the forklift.