Hundreds of UK firms joined the Fork Lift Truck Association's (FLTA) Go for Gold Challenge during the National Fork Lift Safety Week last month.

With at least one worker hospitalised every day because of a forklift incident, the FLTA is pleased with the level of participation as it demonstrated firms' awareness of the need for safety in all aspects of owning and operating forklifts.

The challenge took the form of an online quiz and required companies to demonstrate their understanding of four key areas of forklift safety: planning, training, maintenance and Thorough Examinations.

More than half of the entrants reached 'Gold Standard', thus receiving a certificate. The top 10 companies overall were given 15 months of free Safe User Group membership.

FLTA CEO Peter Harvey MBE says: "We are delighted, not only with the number of companies engaging with the 'Go for Gold' challenge, but with the levels of competency demonstrated.

"Also, it was encouraging to see that, despite materials handling being traditionally viewed as a predominantly male preserve, four of the top 10 scoring entrants were women."

Results from the quiz will be used to help the association identify gaps in safety knowledge, ensuring future safety events and resources are tailored to meet the needs of employers.

"Without a doubt, the week was a huge success. However, it is important to remember that safety is an ongoing process. Over the last 10 years, we have worked hard to inform all those involved with forklifts in any capacity and have seen the number of serious accidents involving forklifts fall dramatically," Harvey says.