Forklift truck safety celebrated

Safety was top of the agenda at the fork lift truck
industry’s annual awards ceremony for 2010. FLTA chief
executive David Ellison explains why, and tells HSM
about the companies and individuals that were
recognised for their potentially life-saving advances

Each year the fork lift truck
industry comes together to
celebrate excellence in its
respective fields with bronze statuettes
called the Archies.

Underlining the FLTA Awards’
commitment to safety this year was the
presence of Carol Grainger, manager of
the Health and Safety Executive
Workplace Transport Unit, presenting
the Award for Design Achievement on
behalf of the FLTA.

The winner was young graduate from
the University of West England, Luke
Elmer. His Award-winning design, the
“Vibralert” system, has the potential to
save lives on the workplace floor. Based
on introducing existing technology into a
new and vital application, his product
consists of a small receiver worn on a
band around a worker’s wrist. When it
detects signals from a nearby fork lift
truck, the receiver vibrates, warning the
wearer to be aware of potential danger.

The devices cost just a few pounds to
install on sites, yet the potential
ramifications for workplace transport
safety are huge. When describing the
product, President of the FLTA John
Chappell said that he hoped that the
Award would stimulate further
development of the product ? it clearly
has a great deal of potential.

Safe Site
One of the evening’s most poignant
moments came when Anglesey
Aluminium Metals picked up the Safe
Site Award. Only in its third year, the
Award is given to companies which
demonstrate not just an awareness of
safety requirements, but a profound
dedication to addressing them. The
Award highlights sites that adopt the best
safety practices, in the hope that others
will be encouraged to follow suit.

Anglesey Aluminium, this year’s
winner, was awarded its Archie because
the company went beyond the simple call
of duty in promoting safety. It received
the Award for seeking to protect the
entire workforce by adopting a zero
tolerance” attitude to accidents.

To achieve this, the company installed
a number of preventative measures,
including full training and the
implementation of total segregation
between pedestrians and vehicles. It took
on board all the best advice that the fork
lift truck industry and the HSE could
give, and applied it across its own site.

What was even more commendable
was that the company went further than
this and extended the benefit of its safety
measures to companies across the
country. It released a large number of its
in-house safety training DVDs free of
charge to the FLTA to distribute to any
company who required them. When
these ran out, it also allowed the FLTA to
put large clips from the DVD onto the
popular video-sharing website YouTube,
meaning that any company with an
internet connection could benefit from
its training.

Safety Award
The four product categories
comprising the FLTA’s “Pick of the
Year” are always the most hotlycontested
Awards, and this year’s
were no different. In particular, the
Safety Award was presented to
ABEX Ltd against some tough
competition, for its MAP3 Access
Platform.

Working at heights on
impromptu platforms is one
of the biggest causes of
accidents that the industry
faces. To tackle this, the
MAP3 includes a
number of safety
features. It can safely
carry up to three
people and a
windscreen, it
immobilises when
it is use and it
has extendable
sidebars to allow
for safe
operation. All of
these result in vastly safer working
conditions.

Products like this and the other five
finalists in the same category show that
the materials handling industry continues
to take safety as seriously as possible.

Safety ? for life
Indeed, the FLTA itself demonstrates a
dedication to safety outside of the
Awards. Last year’s National Fork Lift
Safety Week featured in regional and
national press, bringing awareness of the
need for workplace transport safety to the
nation’s breakfast tables.

Its annual Safety Conference
introduces new best practice and deals
with difficult safety issues relevant to all
businesses operating fork lift trucks.

As the UK’s independent authority on
fork lift trucks, it falls to us to lead the
way for working safely. That’s why it was
such an important theme at this year’s
Awards, and why this year’s Safety
Conference will feature a number of
high-level experts giving the benefit of
their wisdom ? for the safety of the
industry.

For a full list of winners at the FLTA
Awards 2010, visit the FLTA website at
www.fork-truck.org.uk.