NATIONAL FORKLIFT
SAFETY DAY
Q: HOW WILL YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
HELP YOU CONTRIBUTE TO ITA’S EFFORTS TO
PROMOTE FORKLIFT SAFETY?
A: First, I’m extremely honored to have been chosen
chairman of National Forklift Safety Day. My background
and experience in the EHS profession have simply
placed me at the right time and place with the right
people to help deliver the forklift safety message. For
the past five years, the chairs have been leaders in the
industrial truck industry, many of them with insights
into the global market and
sales. They all have delivered
the important message of
industrial truck safety, and I
hope to do the same.
I also believe I bring a
unique perspective with
my area of expertise being
occupational safety. Based
on this experience, I hope
to highlight the many facets
that make up forklift safety.
We are not just dealing with
the truck itself; it’s also about
the environment around that
truck, including facility layout
and operations, operator
training, and the safety of
both the operator and
pedestrians.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES AS NFSD
CHAIR?
A: To me, pedestrian safety is just as important as
operator safety, and they must go hand in hand with
an overall focus on forklift safety. I hope to build on last
year’s discussion of pedestrian safety by [ITA Chairman]
Scott Johnson of Clark Material Handling and keep this
aspect a mainstream focus for future National Forklift
Safety Day programs.
Another priority is regulation. I believe ITA must
continue to work closely with OSHA [the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration] to update the
regulations dealing with powered industrial trucks
to reference the latest national consensus standard
for industrial trucks. Currently, federal regulations
reference the 1969 version of the standard instead of
the 2016 version, which covers many enhancements
that are directly or indirectly related to industrial truck
safety. So the OSHA regulations don’t recognize nearly
50 years of improvements and safety enhancements
that are manufactured into today’s industrial trucks. As
a safety professional, I hope to speak to and influence
this important issue.
Q: THIS YEAR MARKS THE SIXTH ANNUAL NATIONAL
FORKLIFT SAFETY DAY. WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?
A: We have a busy schedule of activities that will
span two days. On Monday, June 10, there will be
an educational session that’s
open to all ITA members
and invited guests. Topics
will include OSHA updates
as well as an update on
current congressional
activity that could affect
our members. Tuesday
morning, June 11—National
Forklift Safety Day itself—
will feature speakers from
industry and government,
including elected officials.
In the afternoon, members
will visit their congressional
representatives to convey our
message about the critical
importance of workplace
safety and discuss how
elected officials can help to
support that. ITA member
organizations will also be marking the day with safety-
focused activities and events for their customers,
employees, and local communities.
Q: WHAT’S THE MAIN MESSAGE YOU WOULD LIKE
DC VELOCITY’S READERS TO TAKE AWAY FROM
NATIONAL FORKLIFT SAFETY DAY?
A: The main message is certainly reinforcing and
sustaining the importance of forklift safety through
effective operator and pedestrian training. National
Forklift Safety Day’s goal is to educate customers, the
public, and government officials about the safe use of
forklifts and the importance of operator and pedestrian
safety. Although ITA, along with its members and
OSHA, will highlight the importance of industrial truck
safety on National Forklift Safety Day, “forklift safety is
for life,” and this focus has to be a sustainable practice
the other 364 days of the year as well. b
