Peter Harvey

The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) is spearheading a nationwide drive to boost safety at sites that use forklifts. The association describes this as its most ambitious initiative to date.

The Safer Site Programme is a free, online safety program that anyone can implement. The FLTA will use its website to publish new steps in the program at regular intervals. Each step will contain advice, guidance, resources and a series of practical tasks that must be completed to move through the process.

"We urge ... every company whose work involves forklifts to participate in the Safer Site Programme", says FLTA CEO Peter Harvey. "For some, it will be the first step on the road to a safer site. To others, it will add to their knowledge and provide valuable new ideas and resources. I promise that everyone who gets involved will achieve real and lasting benefits."

The aim of the program is threefold: to actively drive down the number and frequency of forklift accidents in the UK; to share successful safety initiatives between companies who operate forklifts and improve the general level of safety precautions on UK forklift sites; and to encourage open, blame-free incidence reporting so that everyone feels able to highlight dangerous practices freely and without recriminations.

To find out more, visit the FLTA website.

Established in 1972, the Fork Lift Truck Association is Europe's largest representative body for dealers, suppliers and manufacturers of forklifts and associated equipment. The association's initiatives include National Fork Lift Safety Week, the FLTA Awards for Excellence and a national apprenticeship scheme.