Announcing the programme for this year's National Fork Lift Truck Safety Conference, Practical Solutions for Everyday Problems, the Fork Lift Truck Association has urged those who work on or around fork lift trucks to remain vigilant in their safety efforts.
The one-day event, sponsored by Toyota Material Handling UK, will take place at Warwick University on Wednesday 26th September.
FLTA Chairman, Martyn Fletcher, said: "Over the past few years, we have seen a steady decline in the number of serious accidents involving fork lift trucks. Sadly, however, the latest statistics from the HSE show that such incidents have increased by almost 4%.
"This increase demonstrates how easy it is to let safety slip in the workplace, which is why we're encouraging every business operating a fork lift truck to double their efforts and be even more vigilant about safety.
"In deciding this year's Safety Conference programme, we asked our Members what issues they felt needed to be addressed in order to keep sites, operations and colleagues both productive and safe. The feedback we received allowed us to create a really focussed line up of interesting and informative sessions."
This year's information-packed programme will focus on recognising and minimising potential safety threats in the workplace. High calibre speakers, new research findings, case studies and - above all -practical solutions will show how to reduce accidents, injuries and costly damage in any site where fork lift trucks operate.
Expert speakers will give presentations on what the fork lift truck industry is doing to help communicate - and thereby reduce - safety risks. Programme highlights include:
Current Issues
Andrew Wetter of the HSE will deliver the day's key note address to delegates. He will explain the latest accident research and risk analysis, looking at trends and identifying issues of national concern. He will also discuss their recent investigation into fork lift truck training and how their proposed changes may affect your business.
Training
Lech Kluk, Techincal Director of the Association of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT), will expand on how the role of all Accrediting Bodies will change and what can be expected from them in the future. He will explain how this will affect all users of fork lift trucks.
Loading and unloading areas
Learn how to improve safety and keep accidents to a minimum in this, one of the most hazardous areas of fork lift operation. This session will also tackle a related issue that, with good reason, often causes concern - operating trucks inside containers and inside lorries.
Speeding
There is no doubt that excessive speed can be a significant contributing factor in many fork lift accidents. Marc Littlewood of Roadside Technologies will discuss the equipment his company can provide to help keep truck operators travelling at a safe pace.
Case Study - Operator Risk Assessment
Winner of this year's FLTA Safe Site Award, McCain Foods (GB) Ltd will explain how their trial of Virtual Risk Manager - Fork Lift Truck (VRM-FLT) helped them to identify operators in need of fresh training.
Delegates will hear why McCain embarked on the trial, how it was conducted, and the results (which include a 7.5% reduction in fork lift truck damage).
Safety Products.
As with previous years, the Conference will examine the products nominated for the FLTA Safety Award who have all worked to improve safety in different, and sometimes intriguing, ways.
The Conference will be held in the Ramphal Building at Warwick University on Wednesday 26th September 2012. The Conference will start promptly at 10.00 am and close by 4.30 pm.
Tickets for the event are priced at £85.00 (inc. VAT) for members of the FLTA or its Safe User Group and £115.00 (inc. VAT) for non-members. The price includes refreshments and documentation. For further details visit the FLTA website www.fork-truck.org.uk, email mail@fork-truck.org.uk or call the FLTA office on 01256 381441.