Real-life reasons to make safety the top priority

A couple of weeks ago, early one evening, a television programme caught my eye. It was a fly-on-the-wall series about the emergency services and the air ambulance had been called out to an engineering firm in Bradford, where an employee had crushed his foot while driving a forklift truck. To witness the moments after the incident in graphic detail served as a stark reminder of the precarious coexistence of man and machine. The man in question had set off on the forklift truck; he didn't pull his left leg in immediately and, in a split second, his foot was trapped between the truck and a coil of steel. His pain was only too clear to the viewer – both in the immediate aftermath and, sadly, when the cameras returned a month later to find him still hospitalised after an amputation. Primetime exposure of this nature was certainly not on his wish list, and it made uncomfortable viewing. It goes to prove that statistics on forklift truck accidents are one thing; an individual's anguish is quite another. It's a point picked up by Peter Lennon, head of workplace transport policy at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). "We must all remember that each number represents an individual and a family that is suffering. These are real people." Safe operation of forklift trucks relies on thorough training of drivers. But it also relies on much more than that – effective supervision is crucial. HSE reckons one in five forklift truck accidents is down to poor training and/or lack of supervision. WM asked Peter Lennon what good management of forklift truck operations looks like and what responsible manufacturing employers should be doing. "Each sector has particular hazards and working practices that require forklift truck use to be managed slightly differently. However, the overriding principle is that a company has to manage its business in such a way that it can identify high risk activities and take action to reduce the potential for harm," he responds. "So, when using forklift trucks in the workplace, you need to ensure that you have a safe site; that the vehicles are the right type for the application and that there is a system for regular inspection and maintenance, statutory examinations, and so on; and that you have drivers who are trained and competent to carry out their day to day functions." The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 ('PUWER') states that operators should be adequately trained to use work equipment, "but we also say – and it is contained within PUWER – that it's important for anyone who supervises or manages forklift truck operators to be adequately trained to deal with the hazards and risks associated with operating such a vehicle." In practice, Lennon says he'd expect each employer to have carried out risk assessments, to have provided the right training for operators, and to be developing operator competence. But, he cautions, there is an important difference between training and competence: "We are all trained to drive our cars, for example, but we only become competent drivers through practice and use of the vehicles." Competence, says Lennon, is a combination of ability, skills and experience. No matter how good the operator training, without good supervision and management, cracks will begin to appear. "Supervisors need to know what work the operator has to do, what hazards are associated with the premises, and understand how to manage the risks." Site-specific hazards could range from uneven surfaces, to particular racking, vehicles moving indoors and out regularly, pedestrians in the same workspace, or high numbers of deliveries at a given time or date. "The operators need to know that someone in the management chain above them understands their work, understands the risks and will police them effectively," says Lennon. "We know from our investigations that forklift truck operators can become slightly complacent... a good supervisor who understands the work environment will be able to spot poor driver behaviour." Also, if there is a near miss, the person investigating that situation needs to know how the system works and what should have been done. It's not about apportioning blame, says Lennon, "it's about any good company that takes health and safety seriously wanting to have good people in place that understand the risks in the business". Most manufacturing sites will already have effective and appropriate training in place for their supervisors. However, the problem arises with some of the smaller sites: "With smaller businesses, other pressures may mean that training becomes an activity that's done only when time and money permit," says Lennon. If you think that supervisor training means sending all your supervisors off on week-long in-depth courses, then think again. Supervisors do not need the same course as a forklift truck driver: many firms offer specific training for supervisors and line managers. Truck manufacturer Toyota Material Handling, for example, has its own driver training division, operating from seven centres across England and Scotland, and it has just launched a new course entitled 'Safety for Supervisors', which can be delivered on a customer's own site or at one of the Toyota training facilities. And, as well as training to comply with H&S regulation, Toyota has also embarked on an initiative called Pride in Performance which, it says, will help businesses to lower the cost of forklift truck damage and encourage drivers to adopt safer practices and take better care of their equipment. It includes a handbook for supervisors which gives advice and tips on running a Pride in Performance scheme on site, how to get buy-in from drivers, how to motivate them, and more. Barloworld Handling also has a lift truck safety awareness course which gives managers and supervisors an understanding of basic forklift truck handling principles, risks and HSE safety guidelines. Its national driver training manager Garry Fillingham says the right training for supervisors will help them ensure drivers work in a safe manner. "Many accidents could be avoided if the principles of basic training were adhered to and continued supervision was in place," he says. "Companies should see training as a good investment because it helps deliver a more productive operation with better staff morale, reduced absenteeism, lower insurance costs and reduced damage." Not to mention less risk of any injury to drivers, co-workers or visitors to site. The agency challenge There are certain issues that make forklift driver supervision more difficult. One such point is manufacturers' use of agency staff. Peter Scott, group HSE manager for truck supplier Jungheinrich UK, explains: "We believe that the significant growth in the use of agency staff is having an impact on the accident rate. The high number of workers for whom English is not the first language also presents a number of challenges to companies. For example, health and safety information must now be presented in pictorial form as well as in a several languages to be easier to understand, and training must be done in a way that everyone can grasp." He believes that training of agency workers is a grey area: "It is the agency's responsibility to provide staff who are trained to operate the materials handling equipment they will be using, but it is down to the company to ensure that that the workers are familiar with the environment and layout of the site where they will be employed." He says one of Jungheinrich's' major clients refuses to use any agency labour on materials handling equipment, for example, until they have been trained in-house. "As we move out of recession an increase in accidents rates is likely. As demand increases so does the pressure to move goods through the supply chain, but companies will be reluctant to take on more permanent staff because of the doubts that still surround the economy, so it is probable that you will see greater use of agency workers." One way to help the time-strapped supervisor is to install technology to monitor driver and truck activity. There are many sophisticated fleet management systems on the market which collect data on each forklift truck, data which can then be sliced and diced by shift, hour, driver or any other prescribed measure. As well as the OEM fleet management solutions, a number of firms offer devices which can be fitted to vehicles on site. One of these is Traka, which offers an affordable key management system that enables even the smallest site to take advantage of monitoring technology. It works by way of an intelligent key, called an iFob, which carries the profile for each driver. The supervisor can control which trucks each driver can operate and updating permissions takes just a few seconds. There's also a supervisor's key, called the Service iFob, which is used to program each of the drivers' keys. A Traka immobilisor is positioned under the dashboard of each truck, plus a receptor socket in place of the conventional key switch. "The small fleet system enables smaller businesses to benefit from the kind of efficient, cost-effective key management previously only available to big organisations," says Traka's Godfrey Anderson. Campaign calendar When HSE's Peter Lennon presented to the Fork Lift Truck Association's safety conference in September, he told the audience that HSE is considering forklift truck safety for a future campaign. "We have mature policy, mature legislation, a system of health and safety that is well regarded across the board, key stakeholders who understand risk – so where next?" he asked. Next, as it turns out, is a plan for a 'year of the forklift', which if it goes ahead – again, it's dependent on the fallout of from the spending review – will start from September 2011. Lennon says that while the underlying health and safety statistics show a gradual improvement, there are still too many people who are killed or seriously injured in an incident involving a forklift truck, year in, year out. "The evidence shows that we need an initiative on forklift trucks and, since we're revising L117 and HSG6 [see box item, p40] and hope to launch new guidance in the autumn of next year, this would be a good time to focus more widely on forklift trucks." Even if budgets don't permit an official HSE-driven campaign, Lennon urges all employers to put this subject firmly on the management agenda. "We know that employers can act to reduce the potential for injury by ensuring they have adequately trained operators AND supervisors, by ensuring proper segregation between vehicles and pedestrians, and by ensuring vehicles are used correctly and by taking a step back and looking again at risk assessments." two becomes one It has become clear, says HSE's Peter Lennon, that businesses want one document which covers how to work safely with forklift trucks, what training should be involved and how to work safely with each type of truck. HSE is looking to combine two guidance documents relating to the use of forklift trucks: ? L117, Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training is an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and guidance ? HSG6, Safety in working with lift trucks covers the broader issues of training, authorisation and working area practicalities. It also gives examples of the types of truck covered by the guidance. "There is a lot of duplication between L117 and HSG6," says Lennon, "so we are working to revise and update the text, and combine the two." HSE will put the proposed revision out to consultation early in the New Year. Funding issues may yet overtake this project – HSE's share of the spending cuts is 35% – but Lennon is still determined that "a one-stop shop publication is necessary". The aim is to have one set of updated guidance published next autumn.