Forklift News - Safety seminars free for all

Suitable stand-alone control measure for pedestrian safety?

Safe handling of LPG and changes to Australian Standards are two topics on the table at a series of free forklift safety seminars across NSW, starting next month.

The half-day seminars, hosted for the first time by WorkCover NSW and the Australian Industrial Truck Association (AITA), are aimed at middle management.

"We’re expecting managers and supervisors from the shop floor,’’ said Ian Blume, from WorkCover NSW. "They’re the ones with the influence to impact on safety procedures."

Blume will speak about workplace health and safety, traffic management and warehouse layout.

Standards Australia forklift committee chair Stan Palmer will detail proposed changes to the Industrial Truck Code and invite public comment.

LPG Australia industry development manager Phil Westlake will speak on safe use of LPG in forklifts and changes to the Australian Standard for storage and handling.

"This is an area that is rarely discussed," Blume said. Westlake would also give details on recent recalls of LPG cylinders.

Seminar co-ordinator Todd Brennan, of safety consultant Forkpro, said his talk would focus on the "hierarchy of control".

"I’ll be speaking on the subjects of lateral stability, which is the thing that kills most forklift operators, and pedestrian interaction with forklifts, the other major fatality causer. Simply painting lines on the ground these days is not a suitable control measure."

Forklift attachments and their bearing on operation will be handled by industry stalwart Norm Crompton, of Cascade Australia.

"Norm has been around forklift attachments for 100 years," Brennan said. "He’s very knowledgeable about the effect attachments have on forklift stability and load capacity."

Barrister Martin Shume will update the audience on the legal consequences of shop-floor incidents.

"His role is to scare the hell out of people," Brennan said.

For more information and booking details see Forkliftaction.com’s events calendar at www.forkliftaction.com/events/default.aspx.

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