During this time, we have encouraged and witnessed the UK fork lift truck industry making significant strides in health and safety practice.
However, fork lift trucks continue to be involved in more than 800 serious workplace accidents each year.
Understanding risk
This year’s Safety Week challenged UK businesses to find the ‘killer’ in their warehouse – encouraging them to look beyond the truck itself to their site’s safety culture.
Among the materials developed for Safety Week was a Hazard Perception Test, which was developed in association with Mentor, the UK’s foremost provider of training to the materials handling industry.
More than 1,500 operators, pedestrians, managers and supervisors, have taken part to date and results are currently being collated to provide the FLTA with a deeper understanding of how hazards are perceived on site.
Championing safety
The highlight of Safety Week was our 11th annual Safety Conference in September. It was our biggest event to date and provided delegates with the opportunity to learn from those who have championed fork lift truck safety.
As well as providing insight and encouragement, these individuals – who developed campaigns that have significantly improved site safety – provided guidance on pitfalls and how to negotiate them.
Safer Site Programme
This intense spotlight on safety this year has culminated in the launch of the Safer Site Programme at this year’s Safety Conference. This initiative is perhaps the FLTA’s most significant and comprehensive to date and has been designed to save lives and improve productivity in every site where fork lift trucks operate.
Despite significant improvements to the UK’s safety record over the last decade, fork lift trucks continue to be involved in serious accidents.
This easy-to-follow programme has been developed to show companies – across all sectors – how they can reduce the risk of accidents on site.
Research demonstrates the value of continual learning, so valuable guidelines, tips and real-world examples are delivered in easy-to-digest units.
Visit the FLTA website, www.fork-truck.org.uk, today to get started with Step 1 – Get Informed – and to sign up for the programme.
‘Safety Selfie’ Competition
Alongside the Programme, the FLTA is also asking those taking part to take a ‘selfie’ photograph of the most important safety feature on their site. Ten lucky winners in the competition will each receive a Kindle Fire HD tablet thanks to generous sponsorship from Rivermore Asset Finance, who are marking a decade supporting the materials handling industry. Called a ‘Safety Selfie’, photos submitted for the competition, which is run with the support of Warehouse & Logistics News (WLN), should include both the safety feature AND the person responsible for implementing that safety initiative on the site. But be quick! The competition closes on 31st December 2014. To see the entries so far, visit the Safety Selfie gallery at www.fork-truck.org.uk.
Awarding safety Another competition which is heating up is for our annual Safe Site Award, which is sponsored by Doosan Industrial Vehicle (UK). It recognises companies who have worked tirelessly to tackle the issues affecting fork lift truck safety on site. With such a focus on providing companies with the information and tools they need to improve operations on site, it’s not surprising that we’ve received a record number of entries for this coveted title.
They come in all shapes and sizes and from a wide range of industries, but what they do share is an exemplary commitment to positive change. The winner of Safe Site Award 2015 will be announced on 28th February 2015 at the FLTA Annual Awards for Excellence in Telford. To secure your seat at this year’s event, book online via the FLTA website www.fork-truck.org.uk.
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