Operator Training Focus of National Forklift Safety Day

After completing forklift operator training, driver performance scores improved by 61%, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and as reported by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA). The critical need for, and proven effectiveness of, training was the key message at the fourth annual National Forklift Day hosted by ITA in Washington, DC, June 13, 2017.

Furthering its mission to raise awareness and improve safety, the association has continued its recent alliance with OSHA to provide Compliance Officer Training Seminars to OSHA inspectors across the country. To date, ITA has presented the seminar about 30 times, reaching more than 600 OSHA personnel and covering all of the agency’s 12 regions.

“Safety is the cornerstone of our industry, and operator training is a major component in reducing worker injuries and fatalities,” said Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America and ITA chairman. “We are very pleased to have other industries representing end-user market segments participate in National Forklift Safety Day and support the continued need for operator training.”

ITA’s combined effort with OSHA to enhance operator training marked the beginning of the relationship the forklift industry maintains with the agency today. The alliance has led to collaborations in reviewing the Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts) and OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletins related to forklifts, along with enhanced distribution of safety materials. ITA also co-sponsors OSHA’s Safe and Sound Week, which takes place around the country annually, this year the week of June 11. “As a co-sponsor of the Safe and Sound Week campaign, we certainly find it very fitting that National Forklift Safety Day coincides with this critical campaign,” said Brian Feehan, president of ITA.

The focus of the July 2017 issue of Butane-Propane News (BPN) magazine is forklifts and material handling.

National Forklift Day serves as an opportunity for forklift manufacturers to highlight their safe use, the importance of operator training, and the need for daily equipment checks. This year’s speakers from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and OSHA, along with elected officials and industry representatives, articulated the effectiveness of training to support successful safety programs across a broad spectrum of industries.

“One of the most rewarding moments I have in serving as ITA chairman is seeing our industry come together to support safety,” said Wood. “We are strong competitors in the marketplace, but we set aside that competitive drive to rally as one voice in support of safety.”

As part of National Forklift Safety Day, many ITA members and their dealers across the nation sponsored forklift safety events for their customers, which often include free operator training, distributing safety materials, and hosting open houses.