Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

newsworthy

National Forklift Safety Day 2017 fulfills its educational mission

Speakers from government, industry, and a staffing and recruitment firm focused on opportunities to improve lift truck safety at the fourth annual Industrial Truck Association event.

Toby Gooley
By Toby GooleyJun 27, 2017
Toby Gooley
Contributing Editor Toby Gooley is a writer and editor specializing in supply chain, logistics, and material handling, and a lecturer at MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics. She previously was Senior Editor at DC VELOCITY and Editor of DCV's sister publication, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly. Prior to joining AGiLE Business Media in 2007, she spent 20 years at Logistics Management magazine as Managing Editor and Senior Editor covering international trade and transportation. Prior to that she was an export traffic manager for 10 years. She holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Cornell University.
See Full Bio

On June 13, members of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA), which represents lift truck manufacturers and suppliers of associated parts and accessories, sponsored the fourth annual National Forklift Safety Day in Washington, D.C. The event provides an opportunity for the industry to educate customers, policymakers, and government officials about the safe use of forklifts and the importance of proper operator training.

The program featured speakers on a range of safety-related topics. Among the highlights:

  • Brett Wood, president and CEO, Toyota Material Handling North America and ITA chairman, and Kevin Krakora, vice president, design, quality, and product support for Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America and ITA National Forklift Safety Day task force chairman, discussed the genesis and mission of National Forklift Safety Day, the importance of forklift safety for end users, and some of the ways industrial truck manufacturers and associated companies are working to promote forklift safety.
  • Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, spoke about congressional efforts to reduce or eliminate regulations that he said place constraints on businesses. He also said his committee hoped to pass a bill that would reduce red tape and direct more federal funding for student scholarships and loans for students who want training in such trades as as manufacturing and equipment maintenance and repair.
  • Patrick Kapust, deputy director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), discussed OSHA's policies on temporary workers. "Both the host company and the staffing agency have shared responsibility for protecting the safety and health of temporary workers" under current law, he said. The question employers should ask themselves, he said, is, "Who is in the best position to correct a hazard?" Kapust also noted that the Trump administration has not yet filled some key positions at OSHA. Career employees are filling in and existing initiatives are "moving forward," but those initiatives cannot be finalized until top executives are in place to make policy decisions, he said.
  • Tony Smith, director of safety outreach at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc., offered practical tips for improving industrial truck safety. When supervisors push too hard on productivity, operators may respond by cutting corners when it comes to safety, he said. To prevent that, he suggested better training for supervisors, with a stress on understanding the potential consequences of their demands on operators. Smith also recommended that companies "get safety managers in the seat and make sure they know how to safely operate the equipment themselves." He suggested working closely with the best, most respected forklift operator in the DC to get the safety message out to the rest of the operators.
  • Scott Bicksler, lead safety manager for the recruiting and staffing company Aerotek, identified safety mistakes employers make when working with temporary employees. For example, warehouse and DC supervisors sometimes require temporary hires to operate forklifts, even though the employer did not specify that lift truck operation would be part of the job. There's also evidence that injuries to temporary employees are underreported, and that some employers don't track and document temporary workers' on-site training, he said. Bicksler stressed the need for temporary staffing contracts to describe each position's actual responsibilities, and said any contract for temporary staffing should specify who has responsibility for safety and equipment training, tracking, and documentation; OSHA reporting; and medical supervision and record-keeping. Bicksler also urged employers and supervisors to become fully familiar with OSHA's Temporary Worker Initiative, which clarifies staffing agencies' and employers' responsibilities.

    • Following the presentations, a number of attendees headed to Capitol Hill for meetings with representatives, senators, and congressional staffers on forklift safety and international trade issues. ITA said it hopes National Forklift Safety Day will provide greater awareness of safe practices as well as encourage safer behavior in warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and other environments where forklifts are in use.

    The preceding day, ITA released "Lifting America: The Economic Impact of Industrial Truck Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers," the first-ever report on the industrial truck manufacturing industry's impact on the U.S. economy. The report, prepared by Oxford Economics, estimates that the industrial truck industry's total contribution to the U.S. economy in 2015 was $25.7 billion. Read a summary of the report's findings.

    ArticleInternal MovementMaterial HandlingOther ServicesSC Services
    occupational safety and health administration (osha)institute of scrap recycling industries (isri)aerotekindustrial truck associationmitsubishi caterpillar forklift america inc. (mcfa)toyota material handling north america (tmhna)
    ArticleInternal MovementMaterial HandlingOther ServicesSC Services
    occupational safety and health administration (osha)institute of scrap recycling industries (isri)aerotekindustrial truck associationmitsubishi caterpillar forklift america inc. (mcfa)toyota material handling north america (tmhna)

    The Latest

    freight at a sea port
    Article

    DOT delivers $580 million to boost port infrastructure

    cma cgm container freight ship
    Technology

    CMA CGM crowns seven winners in startup awards

    More Stories

    Mobile robots, drones move beyond the hype

    Mobile robots, drones move beyond the hype

    Supply chains are poised for accelerated adoption of mobile robots and drones as those technologies mature and companies focus on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation across their logistics operations.

    That’s according to data from Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, released this week. The report shows that several mobile robotics technologies will mature over the next two to five years, and also identifies breakthrough and rising technologies set to have an impact further out.

    Keep ReadingShow less

    Featured

    Stampin’ Up!’s Riverton, Utah, distribution center
    Article

    Picking reimagined

    U.S. map with drought risk
    Article

    Everstream Analytics quantifies how climate risk affects supply chains

    map of IMC drayage terminals in US
    Article

    Kuehne+Nagel acquires 51% of Tennessee drayage firm IMC

    chart of global supplier capacity
    Article

    Suppliers report spare capacity for fourth straight month

    drone flying through warehouse
    Article

    Robotic revolution

    warehouse automation systems

    Cimcorp's new CEO sees growth in grocery and tire segments

    Logistics automation systems integrator Cimcorp today named company insider Veli-Matti Hakala as its new CEO, saying he will cultivate growth in both the company and its clientele, specifically in the grocery retail and tire plant logistics sectors.

    An eight-year veteran of the Georgia company, Hakala will begin his new role on January 1, when the current CEO, Tero Peltomäki, will retire after a long and noteworthy career, continuing as a member of the board of directors, Cimcorp said.

    Keep ReadingShow less

    Securing the last mile

    Although many shoppers will return to physical stores this holiday season, online shopping remains a driving force behind peak-season shipping challenges, especially when it comes to the last mile. Consumers still want fast, free shipping if they can get it—without any delays or disruptions to their holiday deliveries.

    One disruptor that gets a lot of headlines this time of year is package theft—committed by so-called “porch pirates.” These are thieves who snatch parcels from front stairs, side porches, and driveways in neighborhoods across the country. The problem adds up to billions of dollars in stolen merchandise each year—not to mention headaches for shippers, parcel delivery companies, and, of course, consumers.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    image of board and prevedere software

    Board acquires Prevedere to build business prediction platform

    The Boston-based enterprise software vendor Board has acquired the California company Prevedere, a provider of predictive planning technology, saying the move will integrate internal performance metrics with external economic intelligence.

    According to Board, the combined technologies will integrate millions of external data points—ranging from macroeconomic indicators to AI-driven predictive models—to help companies build predictive models for critical planning needs, cutting costs by reducing inventory excess and optimizing logistics in response to global trade dynamics.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    vecna warehouse robots

    Vecna Robotics names Iagnemma as new CEO

    Material handling automation provider Vecna Robotics today named Karl Iagnemma as its new CEO and announced $14.5 million in additional funding from existing investors, the Waltham, Massachusetts firm said.

    The fresh funding is earmarked to accelerate technology and product enhancements to address the automation needs of operators in automotive, general manufacturing, and high-volume warehousing.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    Copyright ©2024.