The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) has announced plans for its largest and most ambitious safety conference.

With the help of sponsor Briggs Equipment, the FLTA's annual conference will be held at the University of Warwick on 24 September 2014. The theme for the event will be 'Is there a killer in your warehouse? Five real-world ways to transform fork truck safety.'

The FLTA says the main aim of this year's national forklift safety conference is to present proven, real-world methods that will empower all employees to share responsibility for forklift safety in a no-blame environment.

Key to this will be a series of case-history sessions led by companies which have successfully implemented change in the workplace.

Throughout the conference, the emphasis will be on providing managers and supervisors with practical advice and strategies, along with methods that can be taken back to their site and implemented immediately.

Philip White, director of the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) Cross-Cutting Interventions Directorate, will open with a keynote address. The other presenters include speakers from peer companies and materials handling industry experts.
Sponsor Briggs Equipment, for example, will present a paper on its successful Safety Gains program, while Babcock Marine will reveal details of its award-winning, total engagement strategy.

For the first time, there will also be an open forum - the Practical Safety Panel - in which industry experts including legal, technical and insurance professionals, along with specialist representatives from HSE and the Trades Union Congress, will answer questions and engage in a wide-ranging debate.

"This year's conference will mark a step-change in our ongoing drive to increase safety standards and reduce accidents," says FLTA chief executive Peter Harvey.

The Safety Conference co-incides with Safety Week, from 22 to 28 September 2014, and the FLTA will use the powerful "killer" message and a variety of interactive resources as part of the campaign.