Workplaces using material handling equipment are being urged to take a bold new approach to safety, as National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD) launches today with an industry-first initiative to help eliminate forklift accidents.
This year’s campaign, led by the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), centres on the message ‘A Painted Line Isn’t Enough’, challenging businesses to move beyond traditional measures such as line marking, signage and hi-vis PPE, which only mitigate risks rather than eliminate them.
As part of the initiative, the UKMHA has unveiled a pioneering new portal to collect and analyse data on material handling equipment (MHE) incidents — an unprecedented move designed to provide vital insights and raise safety standards across the industry.
David Goss, Technical Director at UKMHA, said: "In order to effectively tackle workplace safety we need to firstly arm ourselves with as much information as possible.
"Only by doing this can we hope to understand why accidents occur and identify what we need to do to improve standards.
"No other organisation is collecting this data and is why we are today urging the material handling and intralogistics industry to support the initiative.
"We want people to tell us about MHE related incidents they have experienced in their own workplace so that we can spot common causes and act on them.
"This isn’t a whistleblowing exercise, it’s the compilation of vital data that will help us to reduce risk. I would urge everyone in the industry to visit the NFSD website for details on how to complete the form so we can start saving lives."
The portal launch is supported by a range of new resources, all available via the NFSD website, including:
• A powerful two-part video interview with Lisa Ramos and her husband David Garton, recounting Lisa’s devastating 2006 forklift accident and its life-changing consequences
• A newly published white paper highlighting the urgent need to improve safety standards across the sector and outlining priority actions
• A video showcasing exemplary safety practices at Hyster-Yale’s Northern Ireland facility
• A suite of downloadable materials designed to help companies spread the NFSD 2025 message throughout the industry and beyond
Rob Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of UKMHA, said: "NFSD gives the sector the perfect opportunity to join forces and create safer, more compliant workplaces.
"That’s why we have striven to make the 2025 campaign more engaging and interactive than ever before."
With an estimated 1,300 serious forklift-related injuries occurring in UK workplaces every year, the campaign marks an important step towards fostering a stronger, more collaborative safety culture across the material handling industry.