The main event for National Forklift Safety Day 2018 will be held in Washington, D.C., on June 12. But lift truck manufacturers, dealers, and providers of associated products and services around the country will be holding their own events to help customers improve safety in their warehouses and distribution centers. Operator training classes, information resources, and safety-themed community events are among the many ways forklift makers and local dealers will help their customers keep forklift safety top of mind.
Below are just a few examples; for more information about National Forklift Safety Day programs and events in your area, contact your local forklift dealer.
Faced with increasing productivity demands and a shortage of skilled labor, warehousing and distribution operations are looking for new ways to attract and train the next generation of lift truck operators. Learning tools that complement forklift training, such as the The Raymond Corp.'s Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator, a 2018 MHI Innovation Award Winner, can help. The first of its kind in the industry, the simulator allows an operator to enter a simulated warehousing environment using an existing Raymond forklift. In recognition of National Forklift Safety Day, Raymond is giving away FREE a limited number of sample views of a 360-degree video that showcases the technology while providing a similar virtual experience as the Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator. Quantities are limited. Register at www.raymondcorp.com/service/training/virtual-reality-simulator.
Barclay Brand Ferdon, the Yale dealer in central and northern New Jersey, will hold its third annual "Improving Safety Through Advanced Technologies" safety summit on Tuesday, June 12, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at 2401 S. Clinton Ave., South Plainfield, N.J. This FREE event features expert seminars and displays designed to help end users ensure their operations run as safely and efficiently as possible. Seminar topics include:
Attendees can also view displays covering such lift truck safety topics as inspection and maintenance practices, operator training, industrial battery handling, aerial safety and fall protection, pedestrian safety in the warehouse, and dock safety. For more information, visit www.bbfyale.com/safety-summit or register at www.bbfyale.com/safety-summit-rsvp?view=form.
For the past four years Clark Material Handling Co. has celebrated Forklift Safety Day with a community event at its North American headquarters, 700 Enterprise Dr., Lexington, Ky. This year the company celebrates its fifth affair, on June 12, with a catered lunch, forklift rodeo for certified drivers, and a driving course for those who have never driven an industrial truck. Local radio station 98.1 "The Bull" will also be on site to add to the festivities. Prizes will be given out during the event. This FREE program is open to the public; attendees may register on site the day of the event. Additionally, that week Clark will be offering, at no charge, forklift operator training classes to several local businesses.
Each year, in honor of National Forklift Safety Day, Arnold Machinery Co., the authorized Hyster dealer in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and parts of Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, provides its customers with FREE forklift- and pedestrian-safety posters that are hand delivered. The purpose is to provide a review of safety best practices and ensure the instructional posters are posted to help support a safety culture year round. Arnold Machinery Co. safety representatives will drop by end-user locations within their service area on Tuesday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. To submit poster requests within the Arnold Machinery Co. service area, please visit arnoldmachinerymh.com/rsvp/. For all other customer requests, please visit www.hyster.com/safety.
Illinois Material Handling and Wisconsin Lift Truck, both part of the Wolter Group, are offering FREE introductory virtual reality (VR) training on National Forklift Safety Day. Wisconsin Lift Truck and Illinois Material Handling are the first authorized distributors for forklift simulators developed by RVC, Really-Virtual Consulting LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned business that employs Navy and Army vets. The newly released forklift-simulator training program allows operators to train using real forklift controls in a controlled virtual reality environment. The system is especially suitable for providing supplemental training to new employees with little to no experience or for correcting old habits of experienced drivers. The session will be held June 12, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Illinois Material Handling, 490 W. North Frontage Rd. Bolingbrook, Ill. Attendance is limited to the first 25 people to sign up. For more information or to register, call (262) 781-8011 x3083 or send an email to operatortraining@woltergroupllc.com
Customers can sign up for no-cost forklift safety consultations at Toyota Material Handling's dealerships in honor of National Forklift Safety Day. The consultations, provided by authorized Toyota dealers in more than 230 locations in North America, can provide valuable insight about ways to reduce risk in the workplace. Consultations will be held on National Forklift Safety Day, June 12, 2018. For more information, contact your local Toyota Forklift dealer, or submit a request at www.toyotaforklift.com/request-a-quote?r=forklift-training. For more about forklift safety, visit www.toyotaforklift.com/national-forklift-safety-day.
UniCarriers Americas is observing National Forklift Safety Day by offering FREE forklift operator training at its factory stores in Hartland, Wis., and Woburn, Mass. Unicarriers is also celebrating with special parts pricing from its Aftermarket Department. Interested? Please contact Ralph Klute of Capital Equipment & Handling (Wisconsin) at ralphk@cehwi.com or Debbie Queen of New England Industrial Truck (Massachusetts) at dqueen@neit.com for more details about the factory store promotions.
On June 12 MCFA (Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc.) will partner with the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) to raise awareness of forklift safety and inspire stakeholders throughout the industry to help spread the message. Since many forklift-related accidents are attributed to operator oversight or operators being unfamiliar with their forklift equipment, MCFA has found it imperative to focus on the importance of proper training and certification. MCFA's "Engaged in Safety" campaign will reinforce the message that properly trained forklift operators are aware of the potential hazards associated with operating a forklift in their environment and implement the control measures necessary to minimize the risks associated with those hazards. For more information about the Engaged in Safety initiative, go to www.mcfa.com/nfsd2018.
In honor of National Forklift Safety Day 2018, Raymond Handling Concepts Corp. (RHCC), a material handling equipment supplier in Northern California and the Northwest, has announced that its "Safety Show Offs" contest is now live until June 30. RHCC wants to hear from its customers on how they promote a safe workplace. The winner of the contest will receive a catered lunch for up to 30 people, provided by RHCC. Submit your contest entry here. To qualify for the contest, you must be a current customer using any model of Raymond lift truck. To enter, customers must submit a photo or video of their forklift, write a statement about how they promote a safe workplace, and provide the number of days since their last forklift accident.
Crown Equipment, one of the world's largest material handling companies, is using National Forklift Safety Day to kick off an ongoing educational campaign designed to raise awareness of important forklift safety topics. The campaign is built around the availability of new safety resources and content on crown.com. Beginning on National Forklift Safety Day, a series of safety-related articles will be posted to Crown's blog. A new product safety-features guide will be available for download on Crown's safety page. The campaign also includes a series of educational safety posters that will be released sequentially for download so end users can display them within their facility. As part of the campaign, Crown will also be highlighting customer stories that feature safety best practices and impactful results.
