SKILLS & TRAINING
OPERATORS LIFT SAFETY BUSINESS COSTS
W
hile the rate of fatal workplace accidents involving a lift tuck has been on a downward trend in recent years, the number of serious forklift- related incidents recorded
in the UK remains stubbornly high at around 1500 every year. Indeed, if you type ‘forklift truck accident’ into your search engine you’ll get a seemingly endless list of links to stories that highlight the injuries suffered by workers when the materials handling equipment that they had been operating or were working close to was not operated safely and correctly. Workplace accidents often come with a huge physical and psychological cost for the victim and their family, and any employee or employer found to have contributed through their negligent attitude to workplace safety can expect to receive a stiff penalty. When, for instance, the action – or, more usually, the failure to act – of an irresponsible
Improved forklift safety, lower running costs and reduced downtime are among the many benefits that lift truck operator training will bring to a business, says Nick Faulkner, training manager of Toyota Material Handling
employer is considered likely to have been the main contributor to a serious workplace accident, a charge of criminal negligence can be brought against the ‘duty holder’. The ‘duty holder’ is usually a director of the company or a member of its senior management team and in extreme cases, this person can be sent to prison if the company has fallen critically short in its ‘duty of care’ obligations to its staff. Generally, however, the punishment handed down by the courts to a company or individual deemed responsible for a forklift-related
and now stands at nearly £98,000. Plus, of course, compensation claims arising from the
TRAINING IS KEY
Given that most lift truck related mishaps tend to be a result of operator error, the management and training of drivers is clearly vital if the risk of an incident is to be minimised.
Basic training which covers the fundamental skills and knowledge required
understanding of the operating principles and controls of the lift truck – or trucks – that they use and how it will be employed in their workplace; and
Familiarisation training which applies what has been learnt, under normal working conditions – ‘on the job’
combined but should always take place away from the warehouse environment, while familiarisation training must be done ‘on the job’, under close supervision.
While there are many issues which will impact upon the speed at which everyone days. Operators with some experience of lift trucks or relevant experience of similar vehicles may need less extensive training than
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