Manufacturers of inks and packaging materials may be putting their site and workforce at risk by using standard forklift trucks rather than ATEX-compliant vehicles.

That's the claim made by Darren Boiling of Pyroban, who says explosion-proof trucks are required from goods-in throughout the manufacturing process if the risk is to be managed correctly. "Explosion-proof forklifts are critical for any solvent-based ink manufacturing and packaging printing operation, including in-plant satellite operations," he says. "It is important for businesses to know the risks of handling flammable materials and to use the right equipment."

"Safety should be approached as a priority in the inks, packaging and related logistics industries. Unfortunately, not all businesses are aware of the risks their employees face on a daily basis when using standard forklifts."

Standard forklift trucks can be converted using Pyroban's explosion proof technology. Without such safety systems, forklifts could ignite solvent vapour fumes in many ways, such as through hot spots on the engine exhaust or motors, arcs and sparks from components such as switches and motors or friction and static caused by the truck's forks and tyres.

Pyroban launched its latest explosion proofing solution, called System 6000, late last year. It combines several explosion protection methods to ensure that any component on the forklift cannot be an ignition source, making the entire truck ATEX compliant. Reach trucks, VNA machines and counterbalance trucks can all be modified with the system.