Gordon Connell, ABBRA executive director, and Dennis Morgan, owner of Universal Safety Training Inc

A highly experienced trainer says failure to conduct a walk-around inspection is the most frequent safety lapse for a forklift operator.

Further, he says that convincing operators about the importance of wearing a seatbelt becomes a key component in his training sessions.

In addition, he believes strongly that fleet managers and business owners must hold operators accountable for their actions and effectively enforce policies.

Dennis Morgan will provide instruction on 29 September for four training and certification 'super-sessions' of the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (ABBRA) prior to the major IBEX trade event in Tampa. Morgan owns Universal Safety Training Inc in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Professional BoatBuilder magazine and the National Marine Manufacturers Association own and produce IBEX, the International BoatBuilders' exhibition and conference held on 30 September-2 October in Tampa. Displays of about 525 exhibitors will occupy more than 100,000 sqft. (45,000 sqm) of exhibit space and dock space.

"We are excited to offer ABBRA's boatyard tour and our forklift and straddlelift safety courses as part of IBEX and believe they are perfect supplements to what is one of the industry's most comprehensive marine trade events," says Gordon Connell, ABBRA executive director. "The safety classes will offer attendees the opportunity to get their OSHA classroom instruction portion for straddlelift and forklift certification. These offerings are directly in-sync with IBEX attendees' needs."

In his training sessions, Morgan strives to share knowledge to keep students and others safe, instill the importance of retaining safety values every day and nurture a winning network with a goal to create mutual and enduring values.