Why safety must remain first
April 1st 2008

Health and safety in the industrial truck arena continues to be the key message from the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA), the UK's dynamic trade association representing forklift truck manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and media – including Handling & Storage Solutions. James Clark, BITA's secretary general, reiterates why it must always be "safety first" and highlights what BITA is doing to keep it that way

BITA provides numerous valuable services to its members, including producing UK industrial truck sales statistics but it has also taken up the challenge of keeping "safety first" for industrial truck operators - and has pledged to continue to push this message throughout 2008.

The latest sales figures, released in February, show that industrial trucks are a key component keeping warehouses flowing smoothly – and that's why professionalism within the industry, and making sure safety is a number one priority for all BITA's members, must be a key message this year.

As the professional body representing 82 members, BITA has a duty to make sure it leads the field in promoting the health and safety at work message to its members – especially as recent figures from the HSE have revealed that on average forklift trucks are involved in 24% of all workplace transport accidents.

Industrial truck users face hazards that even the highest manufacturing technologies cannot eliminate – the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) recorded 21,190 injuries involving forklift trucks between 2001/2002 and 2005/2006, of which 94 were fatal – but safety can be managed in, through initial operator training and then by the continual reinforcement and application of best practice.

Keeping safety in the back pocket To this end, BITA has produced a series of freshly packaged pocket-sized definitive books on safety. In the average industrial truck's operator environment, space to carry bulky reference materials which consolidate 'best practice', is limited. Truck users and manufacturers alike increasingly rely on BITA's pocket-sized operator safety booklets to help them work safely and efficiently.

BITA saw that what was needed was a portable best practice guide that operators themselves can carry with them for instant reference and checklists before starting work and to account for all eventualities during the working day.

The contents of our safety booklets should be observed as the Highway Code is observed on the roads. The BITA booklets are also valuable as an aide-mιmoire for users who adopt a continuous 'on-the-job' approach to Operator Training, which increases accountability.

The BITA booklets represent a distillation of more than 50 years' wisdom in the safe and efficient operation of industrial trucks, tracing their lineage back to the BITA Safety Code for Powered Industrial Trucks, first published in 1954, then enlarged and fully revised in 1970 to become the BITA Operator's Safety Code for Powered Industrial Trucks (known as the 'green book' for the colour of its cover).

Since then the 'green book' has enjoyed continued updates to reflect evolution in products, applications and legislation, and now includes guidance on the rules applying to forklift trucks used on public roads.

In 1985, BITA created a separate guide, the Operator's Safety Code for Rough Terrain Lift Trucks (the 'red book'), recognising that this new and fast-growing product sector required individual treatment.

In 1991, BITA created a third publication in response to the European Machinery Directive (89/655/EEC) and subsequent amending directives, which specified the need to specify details of all aspects of operation that must be done, and those which must not be done.

BITA's Dos and Don'ts for Users of Industrial and Rough Terrain Lift Trucks (the 'blue book') is now in its eleventh printing, and revisions will continue in line with the current Machinery Directive (98/37/EC), and the revised Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) that comes into effect in 2009.

The fourth BITA safety guide is Stability Awareness for Powered Industrial Rough Terrain Lift Trucks (the 'yellow book'), which debuted in 1990.

BITA also sells its booklets to end-user organisations seeking to ensure the safe use of fork-lift trucks in their everyday business.

These are available to order online at www.bita.org.uk or by phone on 01344 623 800 – BITA members receive a 20% discount.

There are also significant sales to industrial truck manufacturers themselves.

BITA members Merlo, for example, provide copies of BITA's 'red book' and 'blue book' with every handler.

Of course, safety starts with a safe vehicle, and all industrial trucks are subject to inspection under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98 regulation 6); no further investigations are required for low lift trucks (i.e. which lift only to a height sufficient for horizontal travel, e.g. pallet stillage trucks) and low-lift order pickers (with a maximum operator platform height of 900mm).

All other lift truck types also require a Thorough Examination - according to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER 98 regulation 9).

Thorough Examination checks are similar to car and commercial vehicle MOT tests – and must be carried out on a regular basis, in addition to regular servicing.

Like an MOT, it is distinct from any maintenance procedure, and is a legal requirement that applies to every fork-lift truck in service, including hired trucks.

Unlike an MOT however, it applies to trucks as little as one year old. Significantly, the user is responsible for ensuring that the truck has been tested and examined.

As BITA's Guidance Note GN28, Thorough Examination and Safety Inspections of Industrial Lift Trucks, explains, competent persons carrying out thorough examination and safety inspections should meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 17020:2004. For peace of mind and full legal compliance operators can choose a Thorough Examination provider accredited by the CFTS Thorough Examination scheme, in which BITA is a joint stakeholder. See www.thoroughexamination.org for more details.

Additionally, BITA has worked with the BSI to create a concise safety guidance specification – the Publicly Available Specification' PAS 90 – to ensure the safety of engineers working on site. This single safety policy is a recognised specification containing the minimum safety requirements applicable to service engineers working on customer sites. It replaces proliferation of passport systems in an aim to simplify health and safety on site and makes the system more user-friendly, and, crucially, more effective.

Looking into the crystal ball Being able to forecast sales for the coming year will always be welcome in any industry, and with the growing threat of economic decline, BITA has revealed it is exploring the provision of economic forecasting which will hopefully be available to members in the near future.

This will be major new benefit for BITA members, allowing them to predict the future as much as one can do without the aid of a crystal ball.

The peace of mind this service will offer is invaluable. It is highly probable BITA will be able to reveal full details of this service at some point before our AGM in May. It will give BITA great pleasure to be able to offer a small amount of reassurance to our members during a period of economic uncertainty.

Safety, sales, success....

Knowledge of market trends is crucial for any business, but in the UK, BITA is the sole provider of industrial truck sales statistics, contributed by BITA members. BITA thus holds a unique repository of information on the current state and historical trends of the UK fork-lift market.

Details of UK orders and deliveries are reported every month by members of BITA's Truck Suppliers' Group (TSG), using exclusive secure PC software. Aggregated monthly and year-to-date figures are made available on a confidential basis to all contributing TSG members. Members of BITA's Components & Services Group also receive a monthly statistical overview, with the option to purchase more detailed information as required.

BITA members are thus equipped with vital knowledge of how the market is moving – a real asset when planning production levels for the year ahead.

The stable sales figures reported for 2007 reflect the importance of the forklift in the logistics chain. The trend of contract hire departments to keep a young fleet of two years old or less, as well as the recognised value of the modern forklift truck in making sure warehouses run smoothly, are both thought to be behind the continued steady growth in sales.

The large supermarket, department store and DIY chains, for example, know they could not operate efficiently without high quality, modern forklift trucks to move their goods easily from truck to pallet – proving they are a vital cog in the wheel of the modern day supply chain.

Although not quite the record figures of 2005, figures to the end of 2007 show a stable market which continues to thrive.

Sales increased by 3%, with just under 31,000 units sold – the fourth consecutive year in which more than 30,000 trucks were ordered from UK suppliers.

Looking ahead to 2008's final figures, it is difficult to predict the likely strength of the UK forklift truck market at a time when business confidence in some sectors is not as strong as it has been.

However, the market has shown a good degree of resilience over recent years.

Although BITA expects 2008 to be a challenging year for its members, we expect it to be another rewarding year.

Over the year, orders for low level order pickers saw the most impressive increase, with just under 2,200 orders placed – an increase of 25% over the year. The number of engine counterbalance trucks ordered in the UK also fared well, with a 2.3% rise in 2007, while the warehouse truck market grew by 4.9% over the same period.

However the market volume increases have been in specific product areas rather than across all truck types generally, with 2007 showing some very different patterns and some areas have seen a slight downturn.

Orders for reach trucks fell by 7%, while orders for powered pallet trucks fell to 5800, a drop of 8.7% from 2006 figures – although 2006 was a record year which means comparisons may not be indicative of the overall market.

All BITA's activities and services can be viewed on their website www.bita.org.uk

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