Dear Industry Colleagues

I am currently compiling information to produce an article in a magazine
which explains the best suitability for fork trucks in different areas.
Common sense tells most fork truck dealers offering trucks and customers
that the following applies;

DIESEL TRUCKS; OUTDOOR USE MAINLY WITH RESTRICTED USE INDOORS
LPG TRUCKS INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE WITH LITTLE RESTRICTION
ELECTRIC TRUCKS; MAINLY INDOOR USE WITH OUTDOOR USE IF THE DESIGN OF THE
TRUCK PERMITS IT.

My problem however is this. My competitors sometimes tell my potential
customers that their diesel trucks will work indoors more frequently than
the above statement suggests and have also said that LPG trucks can work
indoors all the time without harm to employees. They say this because they
do not have an electric truck in their range.

I represent a manufacturer of Diesel, LPG and electric trucks and as such, we
can be seen to be acting impartial in any application. My concern is that
the information I have on the suitability of differing trucks in various
applications is limited and have tried to seek information from differing
sources without success.

It seems at the moment that there are potentially many thousands of
employees who are exposed to the harmful emissions from fork trucks working
indoors and this situation is going unchecked only because of ignorance
towards legislation, which includes myself.

I have already asked the HSE in the UK for information on this subject and have received a reply but it still does not give very clear guidelines. It seems only after a truck has been installed can suitability be properly tested, be that time it is too late and the wrong investment could have been made.

My own thoughts are that it has to be the combination of emissions, airspace
and ventilation that should determine what is a safe or unsafe environment.

This study could have wide ranging implications for my prospects and
customers alike and I would really like to help and educate these people to
help them to give their workforce a better, safer place to work in. It will
also benefit many people/companies who will never be customers of mine and I
also wish to help this much larger sector.

Can anyone offer additional advcie please?
Regards

Jim Hammond
[email address removed]