inbound
Members of the Industrial Truck association (ITA) gathered in Washington,
D.C., on June 14 for the group’s third
annual National Forklift Safety Day.
As the trade group for lift truck makers and equipment suppliers, ITA aims
to promote awareness of safe practices
in warehouses, DCs, and other sites.
The program featured speakers
on a range of safety-related topics.
Among the highlights, ITA officials announced that the group had
extended its safety partnership with
the Occupational Safety & Health
Administration (OSHA) for an additional five years, pledging to continue providing forklift safety-related
training for OSHA inspectors who
investigate workplace accidents and
violations. These safety efforts can pay
off with big savings. Dr. Wesley Scott,
consulting services director for the
nonprofit National Safety Council,
said research has shown that every $1
invested in workplace safety generates
a return on investment of $3 to $6.
ITA also noted that OSHA is expected to issue a request for information
(RIF) regarding updates to the agency’s Powered Industrial Truck (PIT)
safety standard later this year.
In other highlights, Michigan
Rep. Tim Walberg, who chairs the
House Subcommittee on Workforce
Protections, said he opposed an
OSHA proposal to publish companies’ records of injuries and safety violations. In response, OSHA
Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan
Barab said that publishing information about accidents and violations
is an effective tool for getting companies to improve their safety records.
Barab also advised that on Aug. 1,
OSHA would institute its first hike
since 1990 of penalties assessed for
violations.
National Forklift Safety
Day 2016 fulfills its
educational mission
If you work in academia but are itching to put your knowledge to practical
use, here’s your chance. Lift truck manufacturer Toyota Material Handling
North America (TMHNA) is looking for innovative ideas and is making
research funding available for projects that drive new technology or new
approaches to supply chain, logistics, or material handling operations.
Through the TMHNA University Research Program, the company is
seeking research proposals from full-time professors or researchers at
North American universities. To participate, submit your idea by Aug. 31
and show how your engineering application can drive the next generation
of logistics technology. Proposals will be evaluated on their impact on the
future of supply chain, logistics, or material handling operations, as well
as the planning and feasibility of the timeline and budget. The application
is available at www.universityresearchprogram.com.
The program seeks to improve collaboration between collegiate
researchers and TMHNA, in the name of delivering more efficient solutions to Toyota’s customers, TMHNA President and CEO Brett Wood said
in a release. TMHNA will choose multiple proposals as finalists, notify
winning researchers by Oct. 1, and launch the projects in November.
Toyota Material Handling to fund logistics
research
Neon safety vests are a common sight at crosswalks and construction
zones, where they’re used to improve visibility and avoid collisions. But
a trucking company has discovered that their benefits go far beyond that.
In April 2015, A. Duie Pyle began requiring employees to wear safety
vests at all times. Across the carrier’s 22 cross-docking freight terminals
throughout the Northeast, drivers and dock workers donned lime green
vests while their supervisors pulled on orange versions.
As expected, the company quickly saw a reduction in overall injuries, but
statistics revealed a surprising trend. Not
only did the move reduce the number of
workers being hit by vehicles, but it also
reduced injuries and mistakes across the
spectrum—from simple driving errors to
forgetting to wear work gloves.
“The [safety vest requirement] was
originally to protect someone from being
hit by a truck or a forklift,” said Randy Swart, chief operating officer of
A. Duie Pyle. “But if you can get someone thinking about safety because
they’re wearing a vest, they’re less likely to sprain their back, which
has nothing to do with visibility. If the vest triggers that thought, then
hallelujah!”
Overall, the company improved its safety record from 41,000 hours
worked between “lost-time” injuries in 2013 to 60,000 hours in 2015. The
vests have also enhanced safety for drivers behind the wheel—where their
vests can’t even be seen. Pyle’s safety record rose to 124,500 miles between
preventable accidents in 2015 from 101,000 miles in 2014.
A. Duie Pyle reaps big return on in-vest-ment
