Bells, whistles ...and bandages

In the past five years, 16 workers in the manufacturing sector have died as a result of an accident involving a forklift truck. And, over the same period, more than 3,600 workers were involved in severe accidents classed as 'major' or 'over three day' – all of which featured a forklift truck. The statisticians at the Health & Safety Executive supplied Works Management with the grim numbers. We asked them for the hard facts and they came back: in their definition, these represent 'injuries to workers in manufacturing involving forklift trucks as reported to all enforcing authorities under RIDDOR 95 regulations during 2003/4 to 2007/8'. The numbers are broken down into types of incident – contact with moving machinery (69), hit by moving vehicle (1,618), hit by falling object (456), slip or trip (159), and plenty more, including a substantial 'other' figure of 144. You get the picture; it's not pretty. What's clear is that each week, several tonnes of moving metal are bearing down on someone – driver or colleagues – and causing varying degrees of harm. Remember, too, that these HSE figures are serious injuries: incidents resulting in absences of less than three days would boost these numbers still further (though, when equipment like this is thundering around the factory, it's questionable how many incidents could result in only minor scrapes to personnel). Better equipped If we consider today's typical forklift truck versus that of, say, 10 or 15 years ago, the difference is stark. The technological developments and the addition of high-tech safety features mean that the equipment should be safer than ever before. Why don't the statistics on accidents reflect this? In most cases, the fork of blame must point at the driver. After all, this is one of the vital variables. Sure, machinery fails, technology trips up... but more often than not, it's human error at work. "Until we have fully automated materials handling, the human element will continue to be the main safety consideration for employers managing their operation," says Roger Massey of Barloworld, the UK distributor for Hyster trucks. "The best way of reducing accidents is through well-trained and supervised drivers." He's not alone. Craig Johnson of Jungheinrich UK picks up on this point: "There are many different types – and standards – of training out there. All training organisations will hand out a certificate, but the quality of learning varies enormously. You get what you pay for." Jungheinrich has its own driver training division and, as Johnson points out: "Who better to know every nuance of a truck than its manufacturer?" He also points out that business pressures may have a part to play: "In many operations, the pressure on drivers is immense. In their continual quest for greater productivity, businesses want to move product as quickly and efficiently as possible, for the lowest cost." It's not surprising, perhaps, that some driver may try, quite literally, to cut corners. Johnson also makes the point that the increase in use of casual or agency labour could also be a factor: "Temporary workers may not have had the same high quality training as your own people – you can't afford to take their word for it. Plus, they may not have the same regard for the employer's equipment." What are the truck manufacturers doing to help? Plenty, actually. Take Toyota's System of Active Stability (SAS), a feature that's been around for a number of years. SAS is at the heart of the design of Toyota trucks, including its latest model, the Tonero; SAS cannot be overridden or disconnected by an operator, says the company. Martin Turner, Toyota's product manager for counterbalance trucks, says that the design process is critical if safety features are to be maximised in practice. All truck manufacturers have to ensure their products meet minimum levels of safety, but as he points out: "In the real world, 'minimum' features that perform well in a static test can often be found lacking." When a truck is in use, it may travel over a variety of surfaces, it can be loaded in different ways and driven in different ways. "When we developed the Tonero, we examined not only the truck and the driver, but also the operating environment, the pedestrians, the goods and the racking, the real applications where the truck would be used, and we looked at how risk could be reduced." Prevention In a similar vein, and to meet its philosophy of prevention instead of protection, Jungheinrich developed what it terms 'curve control' technology. This automatically reduces the truck's speed as it enters a corner – a sensor unit works continuously to monitor the steering angle, vehicle speed and wheel position. The technology was developed 10 years ago but it has been an optional extra. Now, however, Jungheinrich has just announced that this technology is being fitted as standard on all trucks across its range – not just counterbalance models, but powered pallet trucks, order pickers and the rest. Linde Material Handling knows a thing or two about truck safety in a UK manufacturing environment, since it uses them at its own Basingstoke factory. Paul Green, safety adviser, says the site has launched an intranet-based risk assessment system: "I've taught 50 members of staff how to conduct risk assessment surveys and they post the results on to the intranet. Everyone can then view the findings and work to minimise any high-risk areas," he says. As well as focusing on safety standards at its own facilities, Linde offers accredited driver training courses for its customers through its national dealer network, and each of the network companies has its own training facilities. And when it comes to product development, Linde's boast is that safety is built in from the start, not added on at the end. But if you do wish to add safety on, there are others to do that. Transmon Engineering, for example, has been supplying speed limiters for many years. Called Speed Savure, the standard device is simple to fit, in a day, to any diesel or LPG truck. So an ageing fleet is no excuse. Briggs Equipment is not a truck maker, but it supplies Cat equipment in the UK and runs fleets of multiple brands for its customers. When the company surveyed its fleet users recently, more than half told the company that their operators don't take proper care of the trucks or, worse still, actually misuse or abuse the equipment. This has led Briggs to launch a national campaign entitled 'We can handle it' which aims to spread the message about best practice, plus gives drivers the opportunity to interact via a dedicated social networking site. Briggs supplies a free kit to help encourage them to take appropriate action and ownership, which includes a wall chart of the forklift daily check routine and safety information; a campaign t-shirt and kit bag; and a video on truck safety and a mini-guide to truck care and maintenance. (For a free kit, call Jo Wood on 01543 437926.) Managers must not flinch from their duty: clear leadership and strong supervision, regular training for operators, and the best equipment will all save life and limb.