Damage deterrent specialist Lamerholm Electronics is urging businesses to harness new technology to help prevent the hundreds of forklift truck accidents that are reported every year in the UK.

In a bid to help reduce the shocking numbers of deaths, injuries and damage to property and goods that result from forklift accidents, Lamerholm Electronics will present its latest Impact Manager device at the IMHX show in Birmingham from 16th to 19th November.

The Hertfordshire-based company, whose unique system is designed to monitor driver behaviour and control access to forklift trucks, will appeal to delegates specialising in storage, packaging, handling and distribution to take action to improve safety, efficiency and working practices.

The cost-effective Impact Manager features an access key that ensures only correctly qualified drivers can activate a truck, and a monitor that detects any impacts, logs them against the driver and wirelessly transmits the details to a central software suite, from which accurate reports and graphs can be generated.

Existing users of the system include Linpac, IKEA, Sarah Lee, All Port :Packaging, Michelin Tyres, Procter & Gamble, Forth Ports, Cooper B-Line Ltd and Kerry Foods, as well as fork lift manufacturers such as Nissan.

Derek Richardson, Group Sales Director at Lamerholm Electronics' parent company IMC Group, said: "The system is designed to prevent the misuse of forklift trucks, a major factor in the surprisingly high number of deaths and serious injuries that occur each year. And that's not to mention the huge financial cost of damage to trucks, warehouses, factories and goods, as well as the staffing implications of employees taking time off due to injuries."

According to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), forklift trucks are involved in a quarter of all workplace transport accidents. Figures for the four-year period from 2001/2002 to 2005/2006 show that there were 21,190 injuries involving forklift trucks, 94 of which were fatal and 15,338 of which resulted in staff being off for at least three days.