Correctly handling and charging a forklift battery is an important part of making sure any warehouse runs as smoothly as it should. However, maintaining the personal safety of your workers is also vital and should never be compromised.

And because forklift battery maintenance has a number of hazards, you need to train all your workers on the best forklift battery safety and forklift battery removal procedures so they can stay safe on the job while helping your warehouse run at its optimal level.

Here are the top four most important safety procedures and precautions every worker needs to take during the forklift battery handling process:

1. Wear personal protective equipment (PPE): Forklift batteries are filled with chemicals that are highly acidic and dangerous. As a result, your employees need to wear PPE at all times, such as aprons, gloves and protective eyewear to keep the skin and eyes safe from these chemicals.

2. Follow correct forklift battery removal procedure: The average forklift battery weighs around two tons — so your workers need to be using battery removal equipment that is in good repair to prevent the battery from being dropped. Forklift battery carts are also essential.

3. Complete battery maintenance in the right environment: Battery room safety is another essential, as you need your work environment to be able to help you respond to emergency spills and situations. It’s required that each battery room have ample ventilation and eye-wash stations in the event of a chemical spill during forklift battery removal or maintenance, for example.

4. Keep emergency information available: Did you know that an astonishing one in four workplace-related accidents involve a forklift in some way? If an emergency happens, your workers need to know where to find emergency contact information quick. Make sure all your employees know the location of this information and can access it readily if something bad happens. Read more: Forklift battery extractor