Fork Lift Truck Safety

It is not unusual for a visiting H&S consultant carrying out his inspections, to find that the key has been left in the ignition of the forklift truck. This common but dangerous practice encourages untrained people to use the truck.

It is usually in a desire to help, for example a delivery arrives and the fork lift truck driver is on his break. To speed up the delivery, an untrained driver may jump on the truck, which can have potentially disastrous results.There are many examples of bad practice causing serious injuries or fatalities. A recent case involved a large chain store not controlling the use of a forklift truck correctly with the result being that a member of the public was killed.

The company was fined £550,000 and ordered to pay costs of £250,000. The next time you leave the key in the ignition think of what could happen as a result and the effect it could have on your company.