Disappointingly, the once steady decline in the number of serious accidents involving fork lift trucks has gradually come to a standstill. We have reached what many are now calling the “accident plateau”.
Accidents are continuing to happen, and despite our best efforts to reduce their number, they remain stubbornly fixed. Only through understanding the risks – both on the floor and at managerial level – and identifying the ways to eliminate them, can we hope to make a significant difference.
This is why we are urging everyone whose work involves fork lift trucks – whether they’re a shelf-stacker working alongside a truck, or a CEO responsible for workforce health and safety policy – to take part in Safety Week and to attend the association’s annual National Fork Lift Truck Safety Conference.
In deciding this year’s programme, we consulted with our Members to identify the key issues that affect the wider workforce engaged in fork lift operations. The feedback we’ve received enabled us to create a really targeted line-up of speakers and sessions.
The theme for the FLTA Safety Conference 2013 is: Top-to-bottom safety: from shelf stacker to CEO, every contribution counts. Initiatives like this – that provide practical, real-world information and guidance on both the law and best practice, represent our best chance to break through this accident plateau.
We’re very happy that this year’s Safety Conference is sponsored by Briggs Equipment UK, who were a natural choice as they feature not once, but twice, in this year’s FLTA Pick of the Year (for Safe Site and Safety). We’re also fortunate to have Warehouse & Logistics News, the UK’s only fortnightly magazine for the warehousing and logistics industry, as our official media partner for the event.
Every speaker and every session has been carefully selected to ensure he or she will address issues that are critical to every member of the industry. After all, safe practice is crucial, whatever your job title is. And, as will be evident from one of our keynote presentations, the most effective campaigns to reduce accidents involve every member of staff, with everyone committing to simple, common-sense measure that combine to make a massive impact.
A host of industry authorities will deliver expert knowledge on their specialist subjects. This will include: the latest industry accident research; the HSE’s revised guidance and ACOP update (L117); the role of managers and supervisors; and how to engage the wider workforce in safety matters.
My challenge to every reader is this: if your organisation – however large or small – operates fork lift trucks, how can you afford not to attend this essential conference?
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