THE people at Smith’s Snackfood Company in Dandenong don’t mince their words, especially when it comes to safety.

And the potato chip kings are now reaping the rewards of a “back-to-basics” forklift safety approach.

Health and safety manager Marissa Meyers said the “Forking Great” campaign had significantly reduced injury and damage to stock and shelving in the warehouse.

“When we were watching them operate the forklifts there was definitely some behaviours that were higher risk than you’d like to see,” Ms Meyers said.

“We sat down and did a risk assessment with a qualified forklift trainer and assessor. From that we developed a set of rules, which are by no means earth-shattering, to address key safety goals, based on previous incidents in the warehouse.”

The most common fault was operating the forklift with its tines (forks) raised, Ms Meyers said.

“It ... means the tines are at a height where you could hit your peers. You also run the risk of hitting - mirrors, shelves - if you’re moving with pallets in the air.”

The Forking Great campaign landed the Smith’s Snackfood Company a WorkSafe award.