The Overhead driver protection guard for container handlers that saves lives

The industrial environments where container handlers and other lift trucks operate need special safety precautions to protect the health of the employees. There are risks connected with the handling of heavy loads like containers, risks that can be increased by conditions like stress and bad weather conditions. Trained operators who follow all safety routines minimize the risks, but accidents can still happen. A container can be dropped, and in the worst case it hits the container handler. A safety cage, or overhead guard, protects the operator from falling objects and can literally contribute to saving lives.

Protection from falling load
Empty container handling means working with loads in elevated positions. And even if the container is empty, the dead weight itself can be equal to several tonnes. These extreme weights cater for safety precautions, where one is the use of overhead guards. Originally overhead guards were developed in the 1960s, and since then the technique has developed into today's robust solutions.

Nothing prevents the impact of a full capacity load dropped from high above. But when handling empty containers an overhead guard can be the difference between disaster and protected health. Thankfully, falling objects are not common in container yards, but empty containers can on rare occasions drop due to the height of the mast.

How does an overhead guard work?
An overhead guard is a cage-like metal construction that is mounted over the operator cabin. It is sturdy enough to protect from a falling empty container, or other falling objects, but still open enough to allow for good visibility in all directions for safe operations of the vehicle.

Konecranes offers the Overhead driver protection guard, an overhead guard for retrofitting in our range of empty container handlers. The Overhead driver protection guard is mounted around the cabin to provide a safe working environment for the operator, providing high protection from falling objects like empty containers. Interested in learning more about Konecranes’ safety work, and the Overhead driver protection guard? Read more here.