Safety is a state of mind
February 1st 2008

Training, best practice and preventive measures must be diligently applied to prevent forklift trucks making headlines for the wrong reasons. James Clark, Secretary-General of the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA), highlights key practical solutions and services that can help

Forklift trucks provide immeasurable benefit to the UK economy, but like all powerful tools they can be dangerous if not used with the utmost care and skill. Between 2001/2002 and 2005/2006, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) recorded 21,190 injuries involving forklift trucks, of which 94 were fatal, 5,758 were major and 15,338 resulted in absences from work of 3 or more days. On average forklift trucks are involved in 24% of all workplace transport accidents.

While even the highest manufacturing technologies cannot eliminate risks safety can be managed in through compulsory initial operator training through the continual reinforcement and application of best practice. The pocketsized Operator's Safety Code safety booklets offered by BITA, are an invaluable aid for users who adopt a continuous onthe- job approach to operator training, which increases accountability.

BITA's best-practice booklets BITA's Operator's Safety Code for Powered Industrial Trucks (known as the 'green book' for the colour of its cover) was first published in 1954, and has been continually updated to reflect evolution in products, applications and legislation. It now includes guidance on the rules applying to forklift trucks used on public roads.

In 1985, BITA created a separate guide, the Operator's Safety Code for Rough Terrain Lift Trucks, (the 'red' book) which was first published in 1985 to recognise a new and fast-growing product sector requiring its own individual treatment.

BITA's Dos and Don'ts for Users of Industrial and Rough Terrain Lift Trucks (the 'blue book') was published in 1991 as a response to the European Machinery Directive (89/655/EEC) and its subsequent amending directives, which specified the need to specify details of all aspects of operation that must be done, and those which must not be done. Future editions will reflect the revised Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) that comes into effect in 2009.

The fourth BITA safety guide is Stability Awareness for Powered Industrial Rough Terrain Lift Trucks (the 'yellow book'), first published in 1990.

All four booklets are available direct from BITA or through its website www.bita.org.uk. (BITA members receive a 20% discount.) Branded versions can be produced for companies wishing to link their brand with a positive attitude to safety.

Improving safety in the warehouse While BITA's booklets are aimed at operators of individual industrial trucks, managers have the responsibility to ensure the safe operation of workplaces where lift trucks operate.

Managers of warehouses and storage facilities, where the vast majority of lift trucks are employed, will welcome the arrival of a new HSE book1, Warehousing And Storage: A Guide To Health And Safety.

This title was originally published in 1992, but this new second edition is the result of extensive co-operation between the HSE and the Warehousing Health and Safety Forum (WHSF) – a committee of experts drawn from trade associations, trade unions and employer organisations.

The book aims to help managers and health and safety stakeholders adopt practical strategies to reduce the risks and costs associated with health and safety, by focusing efforts on the principal causes of injury and occupational ill health in three main sections: General Health, Safety and Welfare; Materials Handling; and Storage.

High expectations for inspections The book's Materials Handling section, underlines the importance of proper, effective maintenance and inspection of lift trucks. All industrial trucks are subject to inspection under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98 regulation 6); no further investigations are required for low lift trucks (i.e. which lift only to a height sufficient for horizontal travel, e.g. pallet stillage trucks) and low-lift order pickers (with a maximum operator platform height of 900mm).

However, all other lift truck types also require a Thorough Examination according to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER 98 regulation 9).

Thorough Examination checks are similar to car and commercial vehicle MoT tests, and must be carried out on a regular basis, in addition to regular servicing.

As BITA's Guidance Note GN28, Thorough Examination and Safety Inspections of Industrial Lift Trucks, explains, competent persons carrying out thorough examination and safety inspections should meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 17020:2004. For peace of mind and full legal compliance, operators should choose a Thorough Examination provider accredited by the CFTS Thorough Examination scheme, in which BITA is a joint stakeholder.

See www.thoroughexamination.org for more details.

More articles from BITA: