SINGAPORE - When forklift operator Lee Zen uses his mobile phone while on the vehicle, an automated voice calls out: “No phone calls, ensure safe driving.”

And when Mr Lee closes his eyes, the forklift blares another message: “Please focus and drive safely.”

Using artificial intelligence to detect operators’ behaviour, the enhanced forklift is a new piece of equipment that logistics firm Nippon Express (Singapore) introduced in 2023 to improve workplace safety.

Even as workplace fatalities and injuries reached a record low in 2023, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has called on firms to continue workplace safety efforts.

Reporters saw the enhanced forklift in action during a site visit to the Nippon Express (Singapore) head office in Toh Guan Road East on March 27.

Before operators can start the forklift, they must key in a customised PIN code and check off various safety requirements.

As it starts, a red boundary light is projected about a metre around the forklift to alert people nearby. When someone crosses the boundary, a warning rings out immediately.

If the operator releases the seat belt, the forklift stops working.

Mr Lee, 32, who operates the forklift and has been with the firm for four years, said: “This forklift with the new system is definitely much safer.

“(The warning system) helps when we are sometimes busy and don’t notice if someone is approaching from behind. With this system, I’ll know if someone is behind.”

Two workers were killed in separate workplace accidents due to unsafe use of forklifts in the second half of 2023, according to a Workplace Safety and Health Council advisory on March 27.

Earlier, in November 2022, a forklift driver struck a man while reversing the vehicle and crushed the victim’s left leg. The driver was sentenced to two weeks’ jail in July 2023.

The new features cost up to $5,000 per forklift, raising each unit’s price from $55,000 to $60,000. The firm has modified 22 of its 50 forklifts and will gradually upgrade the rest.

It also introduced a semi-automated carton sorting system, which reduces workers’ risk of getting injured from lifting heavy objects and repetitive motions.

The firm’s vice-president for sales and operations, Mr Andy Tan, said anything that improves the safety of its staff is a critical investment.

“We have to press on and ensure that everybody comes to work safely and gets back to their loved ones safely,” he added.