Celebrating 10 years of National Forklift Safety Day

The journey started 10 years ago, when members of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) had the following conversation: “As powered industrial truck (PIT) manufacturers, we collectively work to improve safety standards. The companies that use our products continuously strive to improve safety in their facilities. And we know that operator training is the bedrock of safety improvement. How can we as an industry spotlight safety to help our customers?”

National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD) was created to help answer that question and to highlight the critical importance of operator training. We are excited to host NFSD’s 10th anniversary event on June 13, 2023, in person in Washington, D.C., and streamed live online. Whether you are a member of ITA, work in the material handling industry or government, or come from the end-user community, we invite you to celebrate this important milestone with us.

The Industrial Truck Association is the not-for-profit trade association representing the interests of manufacturers of PITs and their suppliers that do business in Canada, the United States, or Mexico. In addition to sponsoring National Forklift Safety Day and hosting other industry forums, ITA serves as an influential industry voice for standards development, statistical information, and international trade; advances engineering practices to promote safer products; and partners with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to conduct compliance officer training and distribute workplace safety materials.

What started as a North American event 10 years ago has blossomed into a global initiative, with National Forklift Safety Day events taking place in Japan, China, and Europe. Australia, one of the first locations to hold such programs, continues to recognize and encourage forklift safety efforts. The PIT industry has supported National Forklift Safety Day by hosting open houses at various facilities, conducting operator training, and supplying free safety posters, among many other activities.

Safety remains paramount to ITA members and other material handling industry stakeholders as our products help businesses meet increasing demand. In the North American market, all truck classes (1–5) experienced strong growth in 2021 and maintained that position throughout 2022. The forklift market in 2022 recorded retail orders of 344,330 units, nearly mirroring the historic market activity of 2021, when 347,677 total units were sold in North America.

In 2021, electric products (Classes 1–3) showed the largest gains, primarily driven by continued demand for e-commerce and warehouse products. That year, electrics accounted for approximately 72% of the market, compared to 28% for internal combustion equipment (Classes 4 and 5). It’s important to remember that Covid-19 remained very prevalent and that the economy was still “reopening” throughout much of 2021. 

The strong market continued in 2022 against a backdrop of inflationary pressure and continued supply chain constraints. Internal combustion sales rebounded well: Retail orders were up more than 30% for Class 4 and more than 10% for Class 5 compared to 2021. The overall split between power sources was 65% electric and 35% internal combustion.

While demand continues to rise, the U.S. is experiencing a very tight labor market, a situation that could result in many new employees, potentially including forklift operators, working in warehouses. Given the historic numbers of new units entering the market and the potential for many new forklift operators to operate that equipment, it is important for the industry to continue to promote operator safety and the continued need for operator safety training. 

We hope you will join us for NFSD 2023, either in person or online, on June 13. Please check the ITA website (www.indtrk.org) for updated information. Thank you.

Brian Feehan
President
Industrial Truck Association