The British forklift industry, celebrating its second National Forklift Safety Day simultaneously with peak bodies and industry participants in the United States, made a poignant call to "make every day National Forklift Safety Day".
The importance of a day dedicated to highlighting safety issues in materials handling should not be underestimated. It was indeed an achievement to get the major manufacturers in the US - all direct competitors - to join together almost a decade ago to highlight forklift safety. It was another milestone when the UK industry joined forces with their trans-Atlantic brethren two years ago for a joint safety day.
But we need to remember that when the speeches and the posters have faded into distant memories, the challenges of working with equipment, of moving heavy, bulky and sometimes dangerous loads, and moving about in spaces shared with pedestrians persist.
Indeed, every day should be Forklift Safety Day - everywhere!