Happy Forklift Safety Day

Today (11th June 2019) has been designated National Forklift Safety Day to raise awareness of safety for these useful but potentially dangerous machines.

In America, we can see some horrifying statistics which would be similar in the UK:

• Forklifts cause nearly 100 deaths, more than 34,900 serious injuries, and another 62,000 minor injuries in the United States every year
• A large percentage (42.5%) of these industries occur in manufacturing
• 11% of all forklifts are involved in an accident every year
• Forklifts are involved in just 1% of industrial accidents, but cause 10% of injuries.

So, to help keep your workplace safe – what can you do today to make small improvements that help everyone?

• Check when the last service was completed – is your maintenance up to date?
• When was the last time your operators were trained? Do they need refreshers?
• Take some time to look around, are there any blind spots in your warehouse? Do you need any mirrors to see oncoming traffic?
• Do pedestrians use this space? Can they be provided with safe walk ways or found alternative access?
• Finally….do you check your forklift every day?