Forklift manufacturers in the United States marked National Forklift Safety Day on Tuesday, celebrating the event's fifth anniversary.

As has become customary, the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) brought together a number of manufacturers and industry leaders in the nation's capital.

Speakers at the Washington event, aimed at highlighting the need for continued operator training to reduce accidents and downtime, included Brian Feehan (ITA president), Scott Johnson (ITA chairman and vice president of sales and marketing, CLARK Material Handling), Tommy Nguyen (staff director for Senator Johnny Isakson on the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions (HELP) Committee's Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety), Loren Sweatt (deputy assistant secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration), Jane Terry (senior director, government affairs, National Safety Council) and Jim Mozer (ITA National Forklift Safety Day chairman and senior vice president, Crown Equipment Corporation).

On-site events were also held by manufacturers and dealers around the United States.

Crown Equipment has kicked off an ongoing educational campaign designed to raise awareness of important forklift safety topics.

"We appreciate the important role the ITA plays in organising National Forklift Safety Day and have enjoyed collaborating with other OEMs to create a unified message that increases awareness of forklift safety," says Mozer. "This annual event is elevating the critical message that safety needs to be top-of-mind every day and is helping everyone understand that any vehicle or technology can be unsafe when used improperly and not supported by the proper safety training, policies and best practices."

Yale Materials Handling Corporation was among those participating in the Washington events.

"The Industrial Truck Association's National Forklift Safety Day and the National Safety Council's designation of June as National Safety Month give us an opportunity to spotlight something that's important to us year-round - safety," says Yale brand manager Chris Murtha. "Whether it's industry-wide education, smart equipment features or effective operator training, we are committed to making the materials handling industry safer and more productive."

In addition to the corporate presence in Washington, NFSD took a local twist with Yale dealers such as Barclay Brand Ferdon which held its third annual Safety Summit in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

UniCarriers Americas also supported the safety initiative, with president James J. Radous, a past chairman of National Forklift Safety Day, saying: "Through meticulous attention to detail and ongoing support and training for our employees and our customers, UniCarriers is committed to workplace safety all year long.

"Contributing to events like National Forklift Safety Day brings us closer to eliminating forklift accidents completely."

In honour of National Forklift Safety Day 2018, Raymond Handling Concepts Corporation launched a Safety Show Offs contest which invites customers to share their approaches to promoting a safe workplace. The winner of the contest will receive a catered lunch for up to 30 people, provided by RHCC.

"We are excited to hear from our customers on how they promote a safe workplace," says Steve Raymond, president. "Safety is such an important aspect in this industry and we are committed to both our customer and employee as we move forward, keeping safety a crucial part of our business."

Meanwhile, KION North America was recently awarded the KION Group Safety Championship for 2017.

The KION Safety Championship was introduced in 2014 to improve health, safety and environment awareness and performance throughout the group. Each year, 47 business segments within the worldwide KION organisation compete for the coveted title. This is KION North America's second time winning since the award's inception.

"Safety at work is a top priority for all employees at KION North America and part of our corporate culture," says Daniel Schlegel, vice president of operations. "I'm excited and proud that our team has been recognised by the KION Group as being the safest operation of 2017. We will celebrate this accomplishment, reflect and strive to make further improvements going forward."