Toolbox Talk

Goods in/despatch safety toolbox talk

Pedestrian access to goods in/despatch

• All pedestrians must use the designated entrances to goods in or despatch, under no circumstances are
pedestrians to enter these areas via vehicle routes/roller doors.

• All pedestrians must stick to the designated walkways and if for some reason you need to enter the storage area
for counting stock or any other reason you are to inform the area manager/supervisor and tell them why you are
entering.

• When you are near a forklift you are not to move unless you have made eye contact, they have acknowledged your
presence and signalled for you to move.

FLT operations
There are reputed to be over 8,000 reported accidents involving the use of forklift trucks in the UK each year and
some of these result in fatalities.

The majority of these accidents are caused by

• The lack of sufficient training of the operator,
• Operator error
• Lack of knowledge about the equipment and the working environment,
• Bad truck maintenance,
• Poor lighting conditions,
• Inadequate gangways
• Unsuitable premises in which forklift trucks are used.

In fact, slightly more pedestrians are injured as the result of a forklift accident than the operators themselves.

Legal Requirements
Several pieces of legislation apply when it comes to the use of a forklift truck and employers and operators need to
be aware of the relevant legislation from the following:
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• The Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations
• The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
• The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare Regulations
• The Noise at Work Regulations
• The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations
• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations

Forklift Truck Training

Our operators receive adequate training which is administered by an onsite trainer. The training is broken down into
several stages and carried out in a safe area, not in a ‘real work operation’ situation. It will include:
• The basic knowledge and skills required to operate a forklift truck safely
• Specific job training related to the knowledge of the work environment and any requirements in handling
attachments

• Further training ‘on the job’ under close supervision

 Toolbox Talk
Once an operator has been assessed as being fully competent we provide further periodic training in the form of
refresher courses currently set at 3 year intervals or earlier if an operator’s role has been modified in a specific way.

Training records for each operator are kept and updated regularly.

Other controls
• Keys/fobs to our forklift trucks must always be removed at the end of shift or when leaving to go on a break to
prevent unauthorised use of the vehicle.
• All areas in which the forklift truck is driven must be kept clear from obstructions.
• All our FLT`s are fitted with seat belts/restraints which must be worn at all times whilst driving.
• Operators must wear fluorescent jackets/vest and safety footwear.
• All trucks are fitted with flashing lights and audible warning devices to warn pedestrians of their presence.
• Pre-use checks must be completed before use and any defects reported to your supervisor/manager.
• Regular servicing and maintenance is carried out as per planned maintenance schedule, with Allianz carrying out
annual statutory inspections to confirm

FLT related incidents

If you are involved in an FLT related incident you are to report this to your line manager/supervisor immediately and
then the following will happen.
1. Immediately: Driver reports incident to line manager/supervisor.
2. Immediately: Driver is removed from driving duties for the remainder of their shift, this is not to apportion blame
but to ensure the driver is ok and not suffering from shock etc, it will also give adequate time for statements to be
written and pictures taken of the incident prior to commencing the investigation.
3. Same shift: Investigation is launched by supervisor.
4. Same shift: Line manager informed.
5. Day 1: EHS coordinator informed and logs incident.
6. Day 1: Management team discuss incident at morning meeting and further steps.
7. Day 5: Investigation completed by investigator.
8. Day 7: Investigation signed off by line manager.

The length of time a driver needs to be removed from driving duties depends solely on the incident and the
judgement of the management team, again this is not to apportion blame but to ensure all facts are collated and
corrective actions have been implemented.

Hazard reporting
All hazards are to be reported, you must deal with the hazard as much as you can by removing the hazard or making
it as safe as possible eg cordoning off the area so it will no longer be any danger to persons, your manager should
then implement corrective actions eg log repairs onto Agility, once this has been done it is to be forwarded to the
EHS coordinator for recording or further escalation.