 Simple, effective, affordable – which is why Ikea's using the Scafftag system Affordable solutions for better forklift safety
October 19th 2006 For your FREE forklift inspection poster* and further information on the Forkliftag and the Black Book, just  click here or contact Scafftag directly.
Forklift trucks are the most common cause of workplace transport accidents. According to the HSE, it remains the second biggest killer, costing the nation more than £540 million.
Recent HSE Statistics relating to forklift accidents include:
• A third of employers believe their employees are at risk of workplace transport injury
• 45% said they had never had a safety check by a manager or supervisor
• 3 million employees work with or near vehicles as a regular part of their normal job
• 5,427 workplace transport injuries to workers were reported in 2004/2005 with 68 fatalities, including 10 members of the public
One company that has been proactive in the field of forklift safety has been IKEA. With the help of Scafftag’s innovative tagging systems it has helped prevent further accidents and loss of life. The IKEA store in Wembley has adopted the Forkliftag which serves as a daily preventative safety management system for forklift trucks. It instantly visually identifies the status of the forklift and instils a pre shift inspection and maintenance routine of the vehicle.
The Forkliftag includes a holder which is permanently fixed onto the vehicle and an insert which is an easy to follow checklist. This checklist needs to be completed daily by the first user or at the start of each shift to ensure the vehicle is safe to use. Should there be any query about the status of the vehicle, or if any element fails inspection, the insert is simply removed, instantly displaying 'Do Not Use'.
For a complete forklift safety management solution, Scafftag provides the Black Book which it says is the perfect complement to the Forkliftag. Along with easy to follow guidelines on complying with legislation pertaining to forklifts and conducting a risk assessment, The Black Book will provide all necessary inspection records to establish an effective information management system.
Mark Williams, Health and Safety Officer of IKEA London, says: “Previously we used a paper log for our inspection and maintenance procedure. We found out about Scafftag and its range of tagging systems from the Health & Safety Exhibition at the NEC and immediately made a switch.
“The tags serve as a good visual aid, are very simple to use and help us ensure the checks are being completed. Because of its simplicity, it’s quicker to get any faults on vehicles reported. The Forkliftag and the Black Book are used in our warehouse and based on their proven benefits we have now implemented the use of Laddertag and the Yellow Book for our ladders safety and maintenance. We now hope to reduce our compensation and insurance costs as well as improve our quality of work in carrying out inspection checks. The service has been excellent and staff friendly to deal with.”
For your FREE forklift inspection poster* and further information on the Forkliftag and the Black Book, just click here or contact Scafftag directly.
Scafftag® wishes to thank IKEA for its cooperation with this feature.
*One free poster per person, subject to availability.
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