The four-day IOSH Managing Safely: Forklift Operations course is exclusive to Mentor Training.

Mentor Training has launched the first-ever IOSH accredited safety management course geared at those responsible for overseeing forklift operations.

The four-day IOSH Managing Safely: Forklift Operations course was developed with IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) and is exclusive to Mentor.

Mentor director Stuart Taylor explains: "In recent years, we have seen the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) highlight management's responsibilities and we've seen a rise in the numbers of managers, supervisors and directors prosecuted for neglect."

According to HSE figures, the number of directors prosecuted under Section 37 of the Health & Safety Work Act in the five years leading up to 2010/11 has risen by 330%, while during the same time period, successful convictions have increased from 50% of cases to 81%.

The new nine-module course builds on the IOSH Managing Safely course, which provides delegates from any industry with a practical understanding of what must be done to ensure safety in their teams' work, with added reference to forklifts and the environments in which they operate. There is also a module specific to the challenges faced in materials handling.

The IOSH-approved course is delivered on site by instructors qualified to NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) standards and with vast specialist experience in working with forklifts.

According to Mentor, the course is visually engaging and encourages involvement and interaction throughout. Relevant facts, figures and case studies are incorporated alongside scenarios to ensure the content is memorable and can be easily applied to real life.

The course meets the legal requirements set out in the HSE guidance document L117, the latest edition of which placed added emphasis on the importance of supervision.

However, according to Mentor, complying with the law is not the only reason managers and supervisors should attend the course.

"This course has been developed to equip delegates with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to proactively manage forklift operations - not just safely and legally, but more effectively, too. Through this, they will discover that good practice has important practical and financial benefits that can make a real difference to their bottomline profit," Taylor explains.