Training, best practice and preventive measures are all
vital in preventing forklift trucks making headlines for
the wrong reasons, explains James Clark
Training, best practice and preventive measures are all
vital in preventing forklift trucks making headlines for
the wrong reasons, explains James Clark
Forklift trucks are the unsung
workhorses of the UK economy,
but like all powerful tools they
can be dangerous if not used with
appropriate care. A succession of court
cases last year illustrated that injuries
from forklift trucks tend not to result
from catastrophic incidents, but from an
inadequate risk assessment or failing to
follow basic principles of usage.
This prompted the Health & Safety
Executive (HSE) to issue a reminder that
bad practices, poor supervision or a lack
of training can all greatly amplify the
dangers associated with operating such
vehicles. Forklift trucks account for one in
four workplace transport accidents, yet
the HSE claims many are "entirely
preventable".
Warehouses are among the most
hazardous environments within the
materials handling sector. The movement
of goods and materials within warehouses
involves the use of a wide range of
vehicles, often in close proximity to
pedestrians. 'Struck-by' incidents—when
a pedestrian is injured by a vehicle—are
still the most common cause of major
workplace accidents in the UK.
The scale of the problem
One incident highlighted in court in 2012
concerned an employee who was standing
on the forks of a vehicle as it lifted him
and a battery-operated pallet truck across
the warehouse floor at a Lancashire
bottling firm. As the vehicle moved, the
pallet truck overbalanced and fell from
the forklift. The worker also lost his
balance and was caught between the forks
on the pallet truck, avoiding serious injury
but suffering bruising to his hip and thigh.
An HSE investigation found that several
workers and managers had stood on the
forks of vehicles on several occasions
prior to the incident. Despite this clear
breach of safe working practices, the
behaviour had remained unchallenged.
Another court case was brought after a
man suffered leg injuries when he was
struck by a reversing forklift at a
cardboard factory in Wales. Although the
forklift truck was travelling slowly, the
employee suffered a broken ankle and
fractured heel and subsequently
developed deep-vein thrombosis. Despite
the forklift being fitted with reversing
alarms, these were not audible over the
noise in the production area and no other
safety measures, such as mirrors or
flashing lights, were used on the vehicles.
A third case, in which a Polish worker
at a Midlands-based concrete firm
suffered a serious leg injury after being
struck by a forklift, highlights the
importance of communicating health and
safety information in the language of the
workers at risk. Despite the company
having safety warning signs, these were
not translated. The court heard that the
worker didn't understand the warning
signs and was unaware of the correct
procedure for the task he was carrying
out.Between them the three firms were
fined £28,000. The injuries, court cases
and fines could all have been prevented by
safer working practices.
Solutions in best practice
These examples reinforce the specific
point that warehouse managers and
operators must prioritise developing and
maintaining safe systems of traffic
management, based on three core
activities:
Physically segregating pedestrian and
vehicle areas in the warehouse
Training and supervising vehicle
operators
Raising awareness amongst all
pedestrians (employees and visitors)
There is no specific legal requirement
to segregate pedestrian areas but operators
have an overall obligation for managers to
"provide a safe working environment".
There are several items of controlling
legislation, but an excellent single source
of best practice is the HSE book
'Warehousing and storage: A guide to
health and safety (HSG 76)'. The second
edition (2008) was produced by the HSE
in liaison with the Warehousing Health
and Safety Forum, a committee of experts
drawn from trade unions, employer
organisations and trade associations such
as BITA.
Practice makes perfect
While specialist guidance helps materials
handling operators ensure they're
complying with legal requirements, it
takes more than this to effectively 'manage
in' safety. In lift trucks, compulsory initial
operator training is vital, but so too is
continually reinforcing and applying best
practice. But refresher training is not a
legal requirement, placing a significant
onus on employers and employees to
maintain an effective awareness of best
practice based on their own initiative.
BITA believes that all materials
handling stakeholders must play a role
and be accountable in this process. BITA,
for example, has developed publications
such as its safety best-practice booklets for
operators, and guidance notes for
employers/managers, which encapsulate
the latest developments in legislation and
best practice. The challenge is not only
knowing what to do to, but deciding how
to do it—how effectively does safety
culture interface with corporate culture?
Thankfully, many logistics and materials
handling companies do build their
corporate culture on safety culture. But
some still don't appreciate that safety best
practice is not a cost or an encumbrance,
but a fundamental investment in the
future health of both employees…and the
bottom line.
