Forklift manufacturers have done much over decades to improve the safety of their trucks and while this is commendable the fact remains that accidents remain stubbornly high. Between April and September 2017, for example, four people were killed by forklift accidents and 1,300 are seriously injured every year. To make any meaningful progress in that direction the greatest emphasis must be on good, well-aimed training, adequate truck maintenance and education of management level employees, where evidence shows there is woeful ignorance.
For training to be effective at the management level managers must have the knowledge to recognise unsafe practice so that safety measures can be monitored and enforced. But what do we see in practice? There is an HSE document, L117, a vital resource for improving management of lifting operations yet research shows that only 1 in 10 managers are aware of this definitive guide to keep them fully compliant with the law. It can be downloaded free from HSE.
Now this is not to say that safetyrelated aspects like good lighting and well-designed layout where segregation between people and trucks is clearly marked should be glossed over. Moreover, the loading bay, probably that most dangerous area in the warehouse, demands good interface between lorries and loading docks so there cannot be any premature lorry departures.
Good advice here can be had from members of ALEM who will update warehouse operators on the latest safety devices for loading bays. The L117 guidance document also covers non-training issues.
It’s worth bearing in mind that in pursuit of achieving the highest standards of safety training one route does not fit all. There are alternatives to accredited bodies’ training designed to support training providers that focus on Basic Operator Training – the absolute minimum requirement, but most in-house training teams have specific operational needs and so need a higher level of competence to ensure compliance.
A bespoke solution, therefore, like those from RTITB, is a better option. This would ensure that employees would receive the three stages of training as described in HSE’s L117, which encompass Basic, Specific Job and Familiarisation training.
As we approach the time of year when peak demands require hired temporary staff, snares await employers if their checking procedures are inadequate. Employers need to be clear on what they should be looking for to ensure they recruit competent operators. Going by job advertisements it suggests they are not. These ads use phrases like “forklift licence required” or “Needs FLT licence” when, in fact, there are no such licences. What is really meant is a certificate of training, but potential employers need to check the applicant’s operating standards and follow it up with an assessment of their current driving skills. Make sure, however, that the applicant’s training has been done by one of the four accrediting bodies (AITT, ITSAAR, NORS and RTITB).
No amount of safe trucks and good training, however, will be enough if business practices, like rushing to meet deadlines, encourages corner-cutting, and also a climate of omerta to dissuade employees from reporting unsafe practices.
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