The UK's Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) is urging its members to play a pivotal role in helping increase safety among forklift users.

During the National Forklift Safety Week (19-25 September), the association's annual safety awareness campaign, the FLTA will use the theme "More Skills, Less Spills" to focus public attention on training.

FLTA CEO David Ellison says there is a legal requirement for operators and supervisors to be trained "and this isn't always understood", resulting in many forklifts still being operated by people who are insufficiently skilled.

Forklifts are the single biggest cause of industrial transport accidents in the UK. According to Health & Safety Executive statistics, over the past five years, over 9,000 British workers have been seriously injured by forklifts.

"Sadly, many of these accidents could have been avoided with the right levels of training in place. For this reason, our key aim for this year's Safety Week will be to mobilise our membership to make forklift owners and users aware of their training responsibilities," Ellison says.

"Our 200-strong nationwide member network will target businesses in their individual regions. To assist them in spreading this vital message we have created a comprehensive set of materials including safety posters, good practice checklists, PowerPoint presentations and operator safety booklets," he adds.

For more information on National Forklift Safety Week, visit www.fork-truck.org.uk.