Your company lists safety as a top priority for employees. The commitment has been there for years, agreed upon throughout the workplace and supported by management. However, while you know that no one wants to be injured, the topic of forklift safety gets lost in the fast-paced work environment.
How can you enhance your current forklift safety training?
It can be argued that forklift safety is everyone’s responsibility; however, designating a specific team will provide a place for the topic to be explored in depth. For this team to be successful, internal support must be provided.
To better understand the work environment, the Safety Team should conduct a workplace audit. An audit explores a typical production day and hazards faced by forklift operators and pedestrians.
Forklift accidents and near misses are opportunities to begin conversations with employees and management. By providing transparency on the cause of the accident or near miss, the Safety Team can give insight to employees on how to prevent it from happening in the future. It should be stressed that forklift guidelines are in place to get employees home safe to their families.
Simply writing a forklift safety program isn’t enough. The Safety Team must keep focus on the topic, stressing best practices as well as dangers to address. OSHA regulations also support continued awareness with their federal law requirements for forklift operators.
A forklift safety culture does not happen overnight. It takes employee commitment, budget funds, creativity and a passionate Safety Team. By combining knowledge and resources of your internal team and outside sources, a solid program can be built to keep your forklift operators and pedestrians safe.
Looking for a forklift Train-the-Trainer program or classroom training materials? Contact Thompson & Johnson to speak to our resident OSHA expert Dave Bennett about our class offerings and online safety catalog.
