This year’s National Forklift Safety Day attracted widespread support from both the UK material handling and safety communities.
Backed by the slogan ‘Safe Sites Save Lives’, the 2023 campaign highlights the importance of correct safety procedures in the workplace, including the use of thorough risk assessments, proper site supervision, operator training and driver safety.
The focal point of the campaign was a special webinar screened on NFSD itself (Tuesday 13th June) featuring an array of industry experts who outlined why having correct procedures in place is so important, from both a safety and regulatory perspective.
Taking part in the discussion was a panel of experts comprising:
Andy Cartwright – Technical Manager, Mentor Training
David Goss – Technical Director, UKMHA
Gavin Hutchinson – Senior Technical Services Manager, RTITB
Steve Simmons-Jacobs – Retired Principal Specialist Mechanical Engineering Inspector, Health & Safety Executive
The safety campaign, which runs throughout the year, embraces many facets of the material handling industry, with the intention of curbing the number of accidents in the workplace involving vehicles and pedestrians, although not solely restricted to this.
The UKMHA’s Safe User Group is also playing a pivotal role in the campaign, encouraging end users of material handling equipment to benchmark their safety protocols against best practice.
The Safe User Group is a key resource for the UKMHA. It offers members access to a vast array of resources designed to help them improve their operational performance. Importantly, the association’s safety audit for dealer members is a badge of honour businesses can aspire to. It is a recognition that the business maintains the highest professional standards and can provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
The role of the SUG in the promotion of best practice is being characterised by its own slogan, ‘UKMHA – Setting the Benchmark on Site Safety’.
Key aims of this year’s campaign include:
- Reducing the number of deaths and injuries in the workplace attributed to driveaway accidents
- Implementing the recommendations of the Safe Working Area Charter, launched at the 2022 National Safety Convention
- Revisiting the themes of previous National Forklift Safety Day campaigns
- That where fitted, seat belts and similar restraints should always be worn and that management have a responsibility to ensure this is implemented
- That physical barriers are the best way of guaranteeing that pedestrians are at all times segregated from moving MHE
- That workplaces have clearly defined walkways to ensure pedestrians can navigate their way around the warehouse or factory floor safely
- That forklifts should undergo regular Thorough Examination from a competent CFTS examiner to ensure they are always safe to use
- That supervisors must ensure that correct operator training procedures are followed, and that no unqualified person is ever allowed to operate a piece of material handling equipment.
In support of the campaign, the UKMHA has produced a special media kit, which can be downloaded from the National Forklift Safety Day website. The kit includes:
- Five Fact Sheets to help you identify and eliminate common hazards in the workplace:
- Fact Sheet 13 – identifying procedures for the Safe Storage of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Fact Sheet 24 – the Supervision of Forklift Truck Operations
- Fact Sheet 26 – explains the limitations on Towing with a Forklift Truck
- Fact Sheet 27 – provides advice on pallets
- Fact Sheet 28 – outlines the pre-use Checks a Forklift Truck Operator should complete before starting their work cycle
- The Safe Working Area Charter – launched at last year’s National Safety Convention and which outlines the safety requirements for engineers visiting customer workplaces.
- An interactive PDF identifying 15 common hazards you will find in the workplace – see how many you spot!
- An automated checklist helping you benchmark your safety procedures
David Goss said: “National Forklift Safety Day is always one of the highlights of the UK material handling calendar and this year it was better than ever. The scope afforded to the campaign through the greater resources of the Safe User Group means we can give important issues such as site safety the attention they deserve.”
More information on National Forklift Safety Day, together with details on how to download this year’s media kit, can be found by visiting www.nationalforkliftsafetyday.co.uk
The webinar produced for this year’s campaign is available to view on YouTube by following the link here
