Lift truck industry celebrates National Forklift Safety Day 2021 with special offers and events

The main event for National Forklift Safety Day 2021 will be a virtual conference featuring experts on forklift and pedestrian safety, hosted by the Industrial Truck Association on June 8. The two-hour program, which begins at 9 a.m. Eastern, is free and open to all; click here for details and to register.

In addition, lift truck manufacturers, dealers, and providers of associated products and services around the country will offer safety-themed training classes and information resources to help customers keep forklift safety top of mind. The following are just a few examples:

Hyster Company is offering a free forklift power safety poster about proper handling, storage, charging and refueling protocols—an important component of lift truck safety, whether you use lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, propane, gas, or diesel. Go to Hyster.com/safety to download the power safety poster and access other free safety resources, including operator and pedestrian poster downloads available in three languages.

Also, to help with daily pre-shift inspections, participating Hyster^® dealers are offering a complimentary tire inspection gauge. Authorized dealers also offer TECH SPEC, a comprehensive 200-point inspection to help keep lift trucks operating as well as possible. Contact your authorized Hyster dealer for more information.

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is offering a free digital toolkit of resources to help employees stay safe on the job. The toolkit, which applies to propane-fueled and other types of lift trucks, includes a PowerPoint presentation with important forklift safety reminders, a poster of essential safety tips, a safety handout for distribution to employees, and videos with animated versions of safety tips on the posters.

To celebrate National Forklift Safety Day, The Raymond Corporation is offering two online programs to help forklift fleets support a culture of safety through effective training and use of technology:

• At the Industrial Truck Association’s National Forklift Safety Day online program, Raymond President and CEO Michael G. Field, this year’s National Forklift Safety Day chair, will discuss how connected technologies and tools like virtual reality can enable better training and lead to more productive workplaces. The free National Forklift Safety Day program will be held June 8 at 9 a.m. Eastern.  Click here for more information and to register.
• At Raymond’s LinkedIn Live event, “Next-Generation Learning Technologies To Optimize Your Training,” John Slavik, senior manager of intelligent warehouse solutions, and Dave Norton, vice president of customer solutions and support, will discuss the Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator, Safety on the Move program, and other innovative solutions that help educate forklift operators and pedestrians on best practices. The event will be held June 9, at 12 p.m. Eastern, on LinkedIn. Click here for more information and to register.

Yale Materials Handling notes that the condition of forks, chains, and tires affects operator safety. For example, a 10% reduction in fork blade thickness can equate to a 20% reduction in capacity; a 3% elongation can reduce chain strength by as much as 18%, resulting in the need to retire the chain from service; and tires worn by 50% or more need immediate attention and may no longer be safe to use. To help with daily inspections, participating dealers are offering complimentary tire-inspection gauges as well as comprehensive Yale Tough Test 200-point inspections. Contact your authorized Yale dealer for more information, and visit Yale’s safety resources page for free downloadable posters and other safety resources.