Original equipment makers in the United States and the United Kingdom leaned into National Forklift Day on June 11 with a flurry of announcements of new products and safety campaigns.

National Forklift Safety Day was founded in 2014 in the United States by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) to raise awareness of the safe use of forklifts and the importance of proper operator training.

In the United Kingdom, where the first UK National Forklift Safety Day took place in 2109, the UK Materials Handling Association (UKMHA) has chosen the theme of “prevent, manage, learn” for this year’s National Forklift Safety Day campaign.

American equipment maker Hyster released two major updates to its operator assist solutions for forklifts, with Hyster Reaction, the company’s operator assist solution, now available on 59 lift truck models. 

This selection includes a wide range of electric counterbalanced forklifts with load capacities up to 12,000 lbs. (5.4 T) designed for the most demanding indoor applications. 

Hyster says its Advanced Dynamic Stability (ADS) is also now available as a standalone option.

“This month we recognise the 11th annual observance of National Forklift Safety Day, which helps underscore the critical importance of forklift operator training and best practices,” says Darrell Hinnant, commercial director of emerging technologies at Hyster. 

“As our industry continues to evolve, advanced technology is now capable of complementing those critical, foundational elements of forklift safety.

“Tools like ADS and Hyster Reaction are designed according to forklift operator best practices and can help reinforce what operators learned in training with real-time performance interventions on the shop floor.”

Toyota Material Handling noted National Forklift Safety Day was also the 25th anniversary of its System of Active Stability (SAS), which reduces the likelihood of forklift tipover.

As part of this year’s event, Toyota shared educational resources with dealers and forklift operators on innovative technology and forklift safety best practices.

“Since its inception 11 years ago, National Forklift Safety Day has helped drive more discussion about making and keeping forklift safety a core part of every organisation’s culture,” says Cesar Jimenez, Toyota Material Handling vice president of regulatory affairs, product planning and product assurance and the chair of this year’s National Forklift Safety Day.

Irish forklift maker Combilift launched a new National Forklift Safety campaign, "lift your standards by lowering your load". 

This initiative aims to enhance awareness and promote best practices in forklift safety across industries.

The campaign will run through the month of June, with a focus on safety, training and education and industry standards.

Yale Lift Truck Technologies marked National Forklift Safety Day with the announcement its Yale Reliant safety system, launched in 2021, had clocked 14 million run-time hours in more than 6,000 commercially deployed forklifts.

“Warehouses are pushed to the limit trying to keep up with productivity targets, but they can’t take their focus off safety, especially with a shrinking, transient labour pool that brings an influx of inexperienced lift truck operators,” says Brad Long, brand manager at Yale Lift Truck Technologies. 

“National Forklift Safety Day is an annual reminder of the everyday, year-round importance of operator training and best practices, and the proven track record of Yale Reliant is a testament to technology’s real-world value for warehouses as they seek tools to help protect their employees, inventory and bottom line.”