Striving to make workplaces where material handling equipment is in constant use safer environments for all has been the cornerstone of National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD).
Supported by the tagline ‘Prevent – Manage – Learn’, the 2024 campaign has been spread across the past seven months which aligns with the ethos of ‘Make Every Day National Forklift Safety Day’.
Each stage of the campaign has seen the release of new resources designed to reinforce a particular message. The final stage of the campaign looks at accident prevention and the tools available to operators looking to improve the efficiency of their lift truck operations and the safety of their sites.
There is a strong focus on the use of lift truck telematics to improve safety and efficiency. The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), which organises NFSD, conducted a series of interviews with leading manufacturing members to outline the different types of telematics systems and how the data they gather can massively reduce risk in the workplace.
To conclude NFSD 2024, there is a harrowing video interview with Lisa Ramos, whose life was irrevocably changed in 2006 after an accident where a fork lift truck reversed into her while she was in a designated walkway area in the warehouse where she worked with her husband.
She describes how the accident, which happened on her son’s 13th birthday, devastated her life and that of her family. She now campaigns for greater safety awareness in the workplace and urges businesses to take greater responsibility for the safety of their workforce.
There is an article available on the importance of segregating pedestrians in the workplace from moving material handling equipment and how the use of physical barriers is vital to achieving this. It outlines how to assess risk and safely manage worksite traffic.
A proactive approach to Near Miss reporting is also a major aspect of the prevention campaign. This identifies what is classed as a ‘near miss’ and how lessons can be learned from them in order to improve future site safety plans.
All these resources are available to download from the NFSD website – www.nationalforkliftsafetyday.co.uk
David Goss, Technical Director, UKMHA said: “The radical approach we have taken has enabled us to provide detailed information about what to do in the event of an incident. The extended duration of the campaign has seen the UKMHA provide a wealth of crucial resource that will enhance workplace safety and minimise the impact of an incident.”
