June 13th - National Forklift Safety Day
National Forklift Safety Day is an annual event organised by the UK Materials Handling Association. It is specifically intended to convey an important safety message to the UK material handling industry. The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Safe Site Saves Lives’.
Background
The global initiative was originally established in the US in 2014. The event is aimed at raising awareness of the safe use of forklift trucks and the importance of proper operator training. The first UK National Forklift Safety Day took place in 2019, with the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) leading the campaign. The large collective of BITA members and other industry associations ensured the safety message was delivered to as wide an audience as possible. Responsibility for the event passed to the UK Material Handling Association, upon its merger with the BITA, with a new safety message geared towards safe working practices for all users of material handling equipment.
2023 National Forklift Safety Day: ‘Safe Sites Save Lives’
Safe Working Area Charter
This year’s campaign follows the launch at the 2022 National Safety Convention of the UKMHA’s new Safe Working Area Charter.
Sites where material handling equipment is in regular use, operate with a certain degree of daily risk. This can be mitigated with the proper risk assessment or safety audit. But the true danger of these workplaces is very evident according to the latest accident statistics from the Health & Safety Executive.
The HSE’s Workplace Fatal Injuries in Great Britain report, published in July 2022, stated that 123 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2021/22, with 30 of these fatalities consigned to the Construction sector and 16 deaths within the Transportation & Storage sector. The most common fatal industrial accident constitutes falls from height, accounting for 29 of the total number of deaths in the period. The second most common fatal industrial accident involved people being struck by a moving vehicle, followed by people being struck by a flying/falling object, contact with machinery and then trapped by something collapsing or overturning. With the correct risk assessments, increased use of safety infrastructure and adequate operator training, the risks associated with such incidents could be dramatically reduced.
Key Messages
Over the years, the campaign has repeatedly called on managers not to be the barrier to forklift safety. Some of the key messages put forward have been:
Operator Restraints
Management responsibility extends beyond the provision of equipment and training and includes a requirement to enforce the use of safety equipment. Management is responsible for ensuring operator restraints, such as seat belts, are being used... they save lives. The primary purpose of the operator restraint on a forklift truck is to keep the operator within the protective structure of the cab, in the event of a tip-over. It prevents the operator from sliding out of, or attempting to jump away from, the cab, and being crushed between the framework and the ground.
Pedestrians
Management is responsible for segregating pedestrians from Material Handling equipment. This is best achieved by physical barriers, traffic planning, route marking and effective information delivery. Effective segregation of workplace transport is a legal obligation for operations involving the use of material handling equipment. The majority of fatalities and serious injuries caused by impacts with pedestrians are wholly avoidable by traffic route demarcation, physical barriers and other basic measures.
Operator Training
Adequate operator training is vital to site safety. Every year there are serious injuries, including fatalities, to truck operators, pedestrians and co-workers, which could have been prevented if properly trained staff had followed safe systems of work.
Accredited Thorough Examination
2021 saw the publication of an updated BITA GN28 – the industry-approved guideline on Thorough Examination and Safety Inspection of Industrial Lift Trucks in accordance with the provisions of LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) 1998 and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) 1998.
NFSD 2021 is for the first time being promoted by the UK Material Handling Association, the new voice in UK material handling formed by the merger of the industry’s two most respected trade associations – BITA (British Industrial Truck Association) and the FLTA (Fork Lift Truck Association). To prevent safety incidents, it is essential that all material handling equipment (MHE) remains safe for use.
Get Involved
Register here to Attend The Event on the 13th June.
KNW Training
Are your workforce up to date with their operator training? The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) place certain requirements on employers. You MUST make sure that all people who use, supervise or manage the use of work equipment have received ‘adequate training’. For a full list of our Training Courses, please refer to our KNW Product Directory, or Contact Us for more information.
