Health & Safety Survey ‘Silent danger’ is vocalised
A recent survey of workers in the materials handling industry has revealed that as many as 75% of individuals see ‘accidents waiting to happen’ in the workplace.
T
he study, available exclusively to members of the Fork Lift Truck Association’s Safe User Group, asked nearly 250 people from a
dozen different companies about the safety practices in their workplace. Respondents
remain unreported, in even the most safety conscious of companies. Ellison continued, “It is one thing to train a workforce to recognise unsafe conduct, but quite another to ensure that they feel confident enough to voice
“The ugly secret behind most fork lift truck accidents is that someone is aware of the threat well in advance, but is either unwilling or feels unable to speak up”
included fork lift drivers, frontline work- ers, management, and safety officers. Seventy-five percent of those polled said that they felt their workgroup was at risk from one or more “accidents wait- ing to happen”. Alarmingly, of these individuals, only one-third said that they would speak up about such dangers. FLTA chief executive, David Ellison, said, “The ugly secret behind most fork lift truck accidents is that someone is aware of the threat well in advance, but is either unwilling or feels unable to speak up.” In one stark example, a researcher was told: “If there are late deliveries, or more urgent shipments, we need to catch up time by unloading/loading more quickly than we normally would, driving too fast or lowering and raising on the move. We know we shouldn’t, and that it creates risks, and it’s not what we were taught in our FLT training... but it’s just what happens.” The research, conducted by Grahame Robb Associates Ltd in partnership with the Fork Lift Truck Association, identi- fies five key ‘undiscussables’ – reasons for unsafe forklift operation that often
their concerns, thereby preventing ac- cidents and, potentially, saving lives.
Tongue-tied: most workers won’t speak out about workplace dangers.
“How can a workforce be encouraged to speak out about the dangers they spot? It is precisely this type of information that is so valuable to our Safe User Group members. “Through research such as this, newslet- ters, technical bulletins, safety manuals and initiatives such as the National Fork Truck Safety Conference, we endeavour to provide members with the knowl- edge and resources required to improve worksite safety and prevent avoidable losses of life and serious injury.” n
www.fork-truck.org.uk
www.shdlogistics.com
Storage Handling Distribution May 2012 61
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