This week's special feature on explosion-proof forklifts brings home a couple of important lessons. The first is about the diversity of applications for which forklifts are used - probably wider and more extreme than any other form of equipment. The second - and more vexing - key observation surrounds the lack of common international standards which makes it so difficult for suppliers and end-users. A multinational corporation doing business on different continents needs to understand and implement vastly differing regulation regimes and operating standards. This makes it hard to consolidate fleets - or even to standardise procedures. And while it may be ideal to strive for best practice, what works in one market might not be adequate in another.