2nd-annual National Forklift Safety Day: Bigger, better and safer

Last year, the Industrial Truck Association launched National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD) to widespread praise and participation. From open houses at local dealerships to productive meetings with congressmen in Washington, D.C., the event successfully promoted the industry’s emphasis on safety, operator training and education. But even the event’s sponsors at the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) could not have anticipated the gusto with which stakeholders dove into the mix.

“I’ve been in the industry for 26 years, and I’ve never seen so many lift truck manufacturers and competitors work together so enthusiastically,” says Brett Wood, chairman of the ITA Board of Directors and president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America. “It has been special to see how we all dropped our business cards at the door and rallied around this initiative.”

Wood says the primary objective is to raise awareness of the continued need for robust and ongoing operator training programs. Last year, he says, approximately 135 media channels, including Newsday, the Miami Herald and Bloomberg News, covered the event, representing a combined circulation exceeding 20 million people.

This Tuesday, June 9, will again see factories, dealerships and institutions open their doors for tours, demonstrations and educational events. In Washington, D.C., the main event will feature speakers including Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, Congressman Reid Ribble (R-WI), a U.S. Representative with jurisdictional oversight over the Department of Labor, and forklift industry representatives from Toyota Material Handling and NACCO Materials Handling Group.

Jeff Rufener, president of of Toyota Material Handling USA, will also speak as chairman of the NFSD Task Force. Wood said the task force includes members from several major lift truck brands and has been meeting throughout the year. As part of its work, the Task Force has produced collateral materials for ITA members to use to support a consistent message around NFSD. Click here to access a collection of free materials including flyers, press release templates, safety checklists and social media suggestions.

“An important part of the event is to communicate with state and local governments to make sure the message of safety is communicated at all levels,” Wood says. “Since the implementation of the OSHA operator training requirement in March of 1999, we’ve seen a steady decline in number of accident and incidents, but there is more work to be done.”

In particular, the ITA is working with OSHA to help amend a regulation that references the 1969 version of national standard B56.1, which applies to the design, operation and maintenance of lift trucks. Instead, the ITA proposes OSHA reference the new new 2012 version. Click here to access the standard, titled ANSI/ITSDF B56.1-2012, Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks EFFECTIVE 2/23/2013, free of charge.

Wood says the working relationship between ITA and OSHA through their Alliance Program has already produced tremendous improvements in enforcement and education in recent years. The program welcomes OSHA compliance officers, as many as 40 at a time, to seminars where they learn about the manufacture and use of lift trucks.

“Both compliance officers and end-users can benefit greatly from seeing how general standards apply to specific applications,” Wood says. “Participants say this kind of education has significantly improved safety and relationships.”

A selection of Modern’s coverage around forklift safety and operator training

Ergonomics
Barriers
Compliance
National Safety Council
NIOSH
Five ways to improve safety
Giving all workers a voice on NFSD
The torque wrench seems mightier than the pen

Other industry announcements for NFSD:

NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) hosted a series of employee events at each of its U.S. plants, and sent a number of representatives to Washington D.C.

NMHG’s Chuck Pascarelli, president of the Americas, Bill Pfleger, vice president of counterbalance solutions, Don Buckman, division environmental, health and safety manager and Jay Costello, director of training, attended the event’s Summit Meeting. Costello’s featured presentation focused on the importance of creating, implementing and supporting effective operator training programs to address common safety-related violations and vulnerabilities, as well as safety and maintenance best practices.

“NMHG is proud to be a leading voice on issues of critical importance to our industry,” said Pascarelli. “Our participation in this event underscores that commitment. By working together on behalf of our company and industry, we can continue to live up to our core principles of innovation and enhanced performance, advancing safety practices that can have a direct impact on reducing injuries and saving lives.”

TVH, a manufacturer and distributor of forklift parts, will be celebrating National Forklift Safety Day and will host an open house at its newest American distribution center in Miami, Fla., on June 11. The 68,000-square-foot DC expands the company’s one day ground coverage to locations in the southeast, offering more than 7.2 million parts in the material handling and industrial equipment industries.

The Raymond Corporation is sharing best practices in operator and pedestrian safety by offering a free educational poster. Raymond provides a lift truck operator training program called Safety On The Move that helps customers comply with their non-delegable OSHA duty for all industrial lift truck operators to be trained and certified in the use of their equipment. Deriving best practices from both its training program and fleet management solutions, Raymond created the poster to help provide a number of guidelines for those who work in a warehouse environment. To receive a Steps to Safety On The Move poster, follow this link and fill out the contact form.
https://www.raymondcorp.com/training/index.cfm?utm_source=NFSD&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=Marquis

UniCarriers Americas’ factory-owned store, Capital Equipment and Handling, will offer free forklift operator training and re-certification courses on June 9 at its headquarters in Hartland, Wisc. There will be two classes, including a morning class that starts at 8 a.m. and an afternoon class that starts at 1:00 p.m. The company will be having a hot dog and hamburger lunch between sessions from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To register or receive more information, contact Ralph Klute at [email protected] or call 262-369-5500 ext. 215. Space is limited. Another factory-owned store, New England Industrial Truck in Woburn, Mass., will host a similar event. To register or receive more information, contact Deborah Queen at [email protected] or 781-935-9105 ext. 221.

Clark Material Handling Company, is hosting a community-wide forklift safety event at its Lexington, Ky., campus on Tuesday, June 9. The program will run from 11:30 a.m. To 1:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Clark is located at 700 Enterprise Drive in Lexington, at the intersection of New Circle Road and Old Frankfort Pike. In addition to a sale throughout June on safety products, the company’s full schedule of events on June 9 include an open house with plant tours at 11:30 and 12:30, a “Lift Truck Rodeo” competition and safety demonstrations, the premiere of a newly produced video, “Forklift Safety: Pre-Shift Inspection,” local media coverage including a live radio remote by 98.1 FM ‘The Bull’, WBUL, lunch provided by Smokin’ Jax Grill and sponsored by Clark and KMH Systems, and door prizes.

“At Clark, we believe it is crucial to emphasize the safe use of forklifts and the importance of operator training,” said Dennis Lawrence, president and CEO of Clark. “Forklift safety is not just a one-time focus. We are proud to join with the ITA and our fellow forklift manufacturers to raise awareness about the safe use of forklifts and the continual need for operator training.”

Crown Equipment Corporation is participating by celebrating the important role each person associated with the manufacture and operation of a forklift plays in making safety a priority. Utilizing the theme, “I am a champion of safety,” Crown will be distributing safety-based “call-to-action” materials throughout its retail locations and corporate offices noting the role of design, technology, training, and individual responsibility in taking ownership of safe forklift operation. Crown executives will also attend National Forklift Safety Day events in Washington, D.C.

“Safety must be a universal desire,” said Ron Brewer, manager of operator training, Crown Equipment. “However, it may mean something different to nearly everyone associated with forklifts from design to utilization. We take pride in helping our customers define safety priorities, employ best practices, monitor and measure progress, and continuously improve behaviors in order to create a meaningful safety culture. We’re happy to join the Industrial Truck Association in its efforts to reinforce awareness of this important topic throughout our organization and our customers’ organizations.”