FORKLIFTS MAY 2019
LIFTING
STANDARDS
A vigilant approach is vital to ensure that
forklift operators and pedestrians are kept
safe while moving around the factory
BY CHRIS BECK
In March 2017, a worker at Mid Cheshire Pallets
Ltd, in Winsford, was going about his business
when he was hit from behind by a forklift truck.
The victim suffered serious fractures to his leg
and ankle, and was off work for several months.
In April this year, the Health & Safety
Executive (HSE) published a damning verdict
into the accident. The factory managers, it
said, had neglected to implement any changes
following a risk assessment, especially when it
came to segregation of pedestrians and vehicles.
The company was fined £6,500 and ordered to
pay almost £7,500 in costs, with HSE inspector
Jane Carroll saying: “Those in control of work
have a responsibility to provide safe methods
of working and a safe working environment. If
a suitable system of work had been in place the
injuries sustained by this employee could have
been prevented.”
Sadly, this kind of accident isn’t uncommon
across the UK. HSE figures show that of the 144
people killed at work in 2017/18, 26 were struck
by a moving vehicle. Likewise, 10% of the 71,000
people who suffered an employer-reported
(RIDDOR), non-fatal injury were hit by vehicles.
Consistency needed
This, according to the
Association of Industrial Truck
Trainers (AITT), can be largely
attributed to an inconsistent
approach to forklift training
– something its managing
director, Adam Smith, puts
down to a reticence to use
external trainers. “Companies
can choose to have internal
trainers for the purpose of
training operators, and it can
be a perfectly viable option if
properly monitored, but we
often find that internal training
has not been accredited by
an awarding body,” he says.
“Internal trainers are at risk
of giving in to pressure from
their employers to meet
company targets for efficiency
and productivity; if they are
not supervised, it can lead to
cutting corners and actually
hinder the quality of training
they provide.”
Traditional operator
training courses are split into
two stages. Stage 1 focuses
on basic training around
equipment and practices,
while Stage 2 is specifically
targeted at the site’s individual
needs. However, warns Smith,
these two stages can often be
combined into one, running
the risk for knowledge gaps.
“If operators are exclusively
trained on the equipment
used in their immediate
environment, the question
arises of what happens if they
are transferred to other areas
in the factory, or even other
sites? It’s vital that any training
that operators receive is widely
applicable, which is why basic
training is the foundation to
the qualification.”
Train the people, but
don’t forget the vehicle
As well as pedestrians being
hit by vehicles, a significant
number of people are also
injured at work by poorly
maintained equipment –
including forklift trucks.
For 15 years, Consolidated
26 people were
fatally injured at
work by vehicles
in 2017/18
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