Safety Drive Week One: Training

Read this week’s Safety Drive update:

In addition, here are some excerpts from Safer Site Pro. The full programme is exclusive to members of our Safe User Group.

Operator Manuals

Operators should have ready access to the manufacturers’ operating manuals. These were written by the UKMHA specifically for companies like yours and are supplied to Members and Safe User Group members at significantly discounted prices:

Operator Safety: Counterbalance Trucks (Ref: 0123)

Operator Safety: Warehouse Lifting Equipment (Ref: 0122)

Operator Safety: Daily or Pre-Shift Checks (Ref: 0121A)

Refresher Training

You are required by the Approved Code of Practice (L117) to monitor and assess your operators on a regular basis and provide refresher training when necessary. If you have your own in-house instructors this is a task they should be able to undertake. Alternatively, you may seek assistance from a separate training provider.

Supervisor and manager training

When it comes to lifting operations, much of what goes on is quite technical, so members of your task force who aren’t already trained may want to consider a short “fork lift truck familiarisation” or supervisor’s training course.

Your training provider may be able to help with this but, if not, you can either select from one of the UKMHA’s approved safety experts here, or contact the UKMHA office to be put in touch with someone who can.

As a refresher for those who have been trained, or as a means of involving a wider audience, you may also consider using our special “Role of the Supervisor” PowerPoint presentation. We have reproduced the presentation below, which you are free to view or download for your own use:

Take the opportunity to look at any other employees who interact with your trucks, or simply work near them. Remember two thirds of the people injured in fork lift truck incidents are NOT the operators.

A convenient way to familiarise yourself and your taskforce with the many risks involved is to obtain and read a copy of the UKMHA Employee Safety Booklet. It is packed full of advice for employees and managers.

You might want to include a copy in your internal induction pack – and to give a copy to each employee who may come into contact with fork lift trucks. With the benefit of your Safe User Group discount, these booklets cost much less than a pound. That’s great value for something so valuable. To take a closer look, click below:

Employee Safety: Working With Fork Lift Trucks (Ref: 0124A)

You may also consider some more specific training for employees who work in the same area as trucks on a regular basis. Without driving the trucks they can still be shown the issues of visibility when trucks are manoeuvring and operating in reverse, how they swing out when they turn, and the risks associated with forks, etc.

They can also be shown the danger points within the workplace, such as the ends of aisles, doorways, loading bays, ramps, etc. and the importance of making direct eye contact with the operator before approaching a truck. This will help them understand the practical issues faced by operators and how they can help minimise the risk to themselves and others.

Safety Drive Week One Sponsors

We’d like to thank all of our sponsors for their commitment to safety and assistance in this campaign.