Statistics by the HSE show that, on average, 60 people are
killed every year in workplace transport accidents and a
further 2000 will suffer serious injuries. Forklift trucks are
involved in almost a quarter of these incidents.A new
campaign launched by Toyota Material Handling UK is
designed to help reduce the number of injuries and accidents

Toyota Material Handling is a leading
exponent of health and safety within
the materials handling world. By
launching 2012 as a ‘dedicated year of safety’
and with its new campaign – Taking Care
with Toyota – the company is committed to
further enhancing its safety message.

By virtue of the huge number of trucks
the company manages in the UK, it has a
wealth of data on incidents, covering causes
and contributing factors, as well as the
means to calculate how much they can add
to a company’s bottom line.

Tony Wallis, operations director
comments: “Toyota has always positioned
itself as a provider of safe products and
services, but we believe promoting safety in
the workplace goes beyond providing our
customers with the safest trucks, it also
requires that we demonstrate to companies
the benefits of training their people and
putting processes in place to create a culture
of safety”.

Wallis continues: “In the challenging
economic climate, it has become more
important for companies to focus on safety,
not only to protect their workers, but also to
reduce costs relating to injury and damage.

As a leader in the industry, we are committed
to giving people as much support as we can
to work in a safe manner.”
A recent industrial trucks survey by
Redshift Research stated health and safety as
one of the top six critical factors companies
consider when acquiring a new truck,
demonstrating the importance of safety for
material handling equipment users.

Throughout the year members of the
Toyota team will attend Health and Safety
events in the North, South and Midlands,
performing demonstrations of equipment
which helps reduce strain and distributing
resources to aid best practice, including the
Toyota Manual Handling Guide.

Further resources promoting health and
safety in the workplace are also being
produced to provide tips for forklift safety,
manual handling and the correct operation
of equipment. All resources will be available
on request via the Toyota website
(www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk) and will be
available at regional health and safety shows.

Internally Toyota is focusing on providing
its team members with information about
healthier living and safety in the workplace
and having dedicated areas in the depots that
focus on safety. Toyota has started this
process by creating a Safety Dojo at one of its
main depots in Leicester. The Safety Dojo is
a training area where visitors and employees
can learn safety awareness and practices with
a hands-on approach.

In addition to the UK Year of Safety, the
company has extended its partnership with
the European Agency for Safety and Health
at Work (EU-OSHA) as an official partner
for the Healthy Workplaces campaign for the
second year. It joined forces with EU-OSHA
in 2011 to promote the importance of
maintenance and safe maintenance practices
across Europe.