Forklift Safety Week: 4 - 8 June 2012

Safety Seminar Highlight of AITA 2012 National Safety Week

The President of the Australian Industrial Truck Association (AITA), Steve Stewart, announced that the forklift industry body will sponsor its second annual National Forklift Safety Week from 4 to 8 June 2012.

This year's event will feature a Safety Week Seminar on Tuesday 5 June at the Novotel Sydney, Rooty Hill, from 9am to 12 noon.

The Seminar will feature speakers on a range of topics including: Standards; Training; Tyres and Attachments; Changes to OH&S requirements and the legal implications; and Traffic Management issues with the use of forklift trucks. There will be no charge for the seminar, but participants wishing to attend are asked to contact the AITA Secretariat to register. Further information on the Seminar is available here.

Mr Stewart said the 2012 Safety Week followed the very successful inaugural event last year, and is again supported by each of the Association's full and associate members.

"Continuation of this initiative commenced last year highlights the AITA's ongoing commitment to promoting the highest levels of safety in the industry," he said.

The theme of this year's campaign and seminar is TRAINING and will build on last year's focus of Watch out for your Mates.

Mr Stewart said training was selected as the theme in light of the changes resulting from the harmonized Workplace Health and Safety legislation introduced on 1 January 2012 across a number of jurisdictions, and recent changes to Australian Standards specifically relating to materials handling equipment.

Once again, the Safety Week will be promoted via safety message posters that can be positioned in warehouses and other high traffic forklift areas, stickers that the members will affix to forklifts being delivered and rented during the nominated "Safety Week", as well as links on members' web sites promoting the event and directing people to locations where additional posters and stickers will be available if required.

"The suppliers of materials handling equipment in Australia through the AITA are proud to again be sponsoring a National Forklift Safety Week to help reduce accidents involving forklifts in the workplace and make a positive contribution to the safety of all employees working with, or around, lift trucks every day," Mr Stewart said.