Leading workplace transport training accreditation body, RTITB, addressed forklift truck safety at this year’s SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturer’s Association) conference on Thursday 6th November at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.
Laura Nelson, Operations Director, and Nick Welch, Senior Technical Development Executive, of RTITB presented ways in which businesses can reduce common lift truck related incidents in warehouses.
“Many fatal and serious accidents are caused by unsafe practices, improperly maintained trucks, inadequate supervision from management and insufficient training of operators” explains Laura Nelson. “In many cases these incidents are caused by a combination of all four.”
Laura and Nick presented case studies of several recent incidents where inadequate safety measures have resulted in injuries to operators and subsequent costs to the employer in insurance pay outs.
The presentation offered practical help on choosing the right forklift for the application and highlighted the expectations that should be placed on the employee or employer to minimise forklift damage. An interactive ‘safety blame game’ was used in order to demonstrate the many factors that can be involved in an incident in the workplace.
“We would like to encourage companies to look at the big picture in regards to safety when operating forklift trucks” adds Laura Nelson. “Safety procedures and accountability should always refer to operators, machinery and the workplace environment, as all of these factors can contribute to incidents.”
The SEMA safety conference featured a number of speakers giving presentations based on this year’s theme, ‘Safety in the Storage Industry: Safer by Design’, following recent statistics from HSE suggesting that ‘falls from height’ are the third highest cause of fatal injuries in the food and drink industry.
SEMA is the British Trade Association of the Storage Equipment Industry. The Association promotes safety in the design, installation and use of storage equipment, specifically those manufactured and supplied by SEMA’s members. The 2014 conference focused on forklift truck related safety procedures and ways to reduce damage to operators, machinery and storage equipment.
Visit www.sema.org.uk or www.rtitb.co.uk or call +44 (0)1952 520200 to find out more.
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