Today, even after countless refinements to forklift design such as the widespread adoption of seat belts, three UK workers will be hospitalised with life-changing injuries following an accident involving a fork lift truck.

Even with a long background in safety it’s enough to give pause.

Damning numbers

No one is more at risk of this than those who work alongside fork lift trucks: In 57% of fork lift accidents, the victim was on foot at the time of impact. It’s a stat which highlights the problem – and relative prevalence – of forklifts and pedestrians sharing a workspace. 

Ideally, our workplaces would be completely separate; there would be clear delineation of drivable and on-foot areas. But, for many companies, operational constraints make this difficult to achieve. 

As it stands, about 740 pedestrians are seriously injured in fork lift accidents with life-changing injuries every year, with de-glovings, amputations, long-bone fractures, and dislocations all on the rise.

The sheer scale of the problem shows the need to keep forklifts and on-foot workers a safe distance apart. Proper segregation – when implemented – is obviously a huge step in the right direction, but that should be a baseline solution rather than the end goal.

Painted traffic routes, elevated walkways, crash-proof barriers, and raised kerbs all have a big part to play in keeping workers safe, but, even with all these in place, the benefits can be easily undone through simple human error.

Busy areas like loading bays always come with the possibility of trucks and pedestrians crossing paths. It’s vital that operators and pedestrians are aware of each other’s presence and can communicate effectively – even in a noisy warehouse environment.  

Show your hand

At Mentor, we began rolling a simple idea to our customers that can be implemented easily, quickly and at no cost that eliminates the miscommunication that significantly contributes to the risk of accidents. 

The ‘Show your hand’ campaign proposes a standardised approach to communication that’s easy to remember, easy to do, and easy to understand.

• 1: An operator sees a pedestrian coming too close to their truck 
• 2: The operator raises their hand to signal for the pedestrian to stop
• 3: If the pedestrian doesn’t stop, the operator stops their truck and waits for the pedestrian to move away or until they have the pedestrian’s attention

It’s crucial that this is an operator-led procedure — there’s no requirement for pedestrians to signal back. It’s about ensuring that those in control of forklifts are fully aware of their surroundings at all times and take the lead in preventing accidents.

As a long-term Safety Partner of the Fork Lift Truck Association, Mentor has timed the launch of this campaign to coincide with Safetember — the FLTA’s National Forklift Safety Month.

The company will be giving away free ‘Show Your Hand’ campaign kits, including posters and videos, to help you implement and promote this simple, invaluable message throughout your workplace.

To get your kit, call Mentor FLT Training on the number below or visit www.mentortraining.co.uk.