In any warehouse, working safely is working smartly – not only from a practical point of view – it also makes good business sense.
Companies that listen to, motivate and empower staff to take ownership of safety at their site will invariably see positive results on the bottom line.
And nowhere is that more important than in the operation of FLTs. Operators who speed or drive recklessly are not only endangering themselves and those on foot, they invariably cost their employers in terms of damage to stock, racking and the truck itself.
Avoidable costs like these can be reduced dramatically by ensuring that the safety culture in the warehouse is one that encourages and rewards good safety practice. And that feedback should come from every level: boardroom to shop-floor.
And, while engagement at the very highest level is crucial, grass roots involvement is almost as important because it is often staff who work on or around FLTs who are best placed to highlight dangerous practices, know how they happen… and how to avoid them.
These principles have been imaginatively applied by all nine of this year’s FLTA Safe Site finalists, each of whom has made great strides towards establishing a self-policing environment where risky – and – costly behaviour is simply not tolerated by the working community.
Cambridgeshire-based G’s Fresh Beetroot were the outright winners having instigated a host of safety initiatives. These included installing a traffic light system with 2 way operation, where both pedestrian and driver can turn the system to red, ensuring segregation. Pedestrians are also protected by fitting blue spotlights on trucks to improve visibility and a new portable sign that warns drivers that pedestrians are present in an aisle. It has also invested heavily in testing trucks and staff training, while a web-based health and safety system has been introduced, incorporating smart phones and tablets.
Whilst the solutions introduced by the Safe Site finalists might be innovative, they are also “real world” and transferrable. This means that regardless of the size of your site or the size of your fleet, there are techniques and changes that can be implemented by everyone.
If you are interested in improving fork lift truck safety on your site – and who isn’t – visit the FLTA website and enrol on the Safer Site Programme.
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