Industry groups on both sides of the Atlantic are preparing for National Forklift Safety Day on June 11.

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.

Now the event is largely a global initiative.  

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.

The campaign will run to December 9 and focus on the seven stages of the forklift incident cycle, with each stage representing a specific strategy for ensuring the safe use of material handling equipment.

The UKMHA says stretching the campaign over seven months is part of its strategy to make every day National Forklift Safety Day.

In the US, the ITA has organised a hybrid conference featuring forklift manufacturers and experts speaking about the safe use of forklifts, the value of operator training and the need for daily equipment checks.

The event will be held at the National Press Club in Washington DC, with a virtual attendance option.

Speakers include ITA president Brian Feehan, ITA chairman and Toyota Material Handling North America chief executive officer Brett Wood and assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Douglas Parker.

"ITA is excited to host the 11th National Forklift Safety Day and to keep safety top of mind," says the ITA’s Feehan. "We understand the importance of effective forklift operator training and ITA's National Forklift Safety Day is meant to keep that discussion at the forefront year-after-year.”