Businesses in the West Midlands that operate forklift trucks are being urged to refresh their health and safety procedures and make sure they can safely cope with demand as industry gears up for the busiest period of the year.

A recent study by the Forklift Truck Association found that the region was close to the top of a ‘league table’ showing areas in the UK that had experienced the most forklift accidents. Now, a leading supplier of short-term hire trucks, Briggs Equipment is warning that the next few months could see an increase in serious incidents.

Historical studies commissioned by the Cannock-based company suggest the sudden increase in workload in the run up to Christmas can lead to a disproportionate increase in accidents involving forklift operators and National Fork Lift Safety Week – which finished last week – also served as a timely reminder of the dangers that lie ahead.

Explained the firm’s Asset Manager, Allan Parsons: “From our own experience and previous industry research we know there is a clear link between increased activity in the pre-Christmas period and the number of accidents, but the reasons behind this are not so clear cut.”

“A common cause is inadequate training and this is likely to become a greater risk during busy periods when agency or other temporary staff are employed to cope with demand. However, other factors may also contribute to the problem, including more experienced employees taking procedural ‘short cuts’ to keep up with the increased workload.”

Having identified these issues, Briggs is stressing the importance of re-enforcing health and safety procedures to its growing list of short-term hire customers. Allan went on to say there are simple steps that businesses can take to reduce the risk of accidents. These include making sure that all temporary employees are fully familiar with both the work environment and the equipment they are using. This could be introduced thorough an induction process if one is not already in place. Longer-serving employees can also be reminded of their obligations.

“Most importantly, managers need to recognise that safety could be compromised if there are insufficient employees or equipment to cope with increased demand over the Christmas period,” he said. “Put employees and equipment under too much pressure and there will be a greater temptation to take short cuts and therefore a greater risk of accidents.

“As such accidents can be costly in terms of downtime and possible legal action, failure to invest in temporary resources to cope with the rush – even in a difficult economic environment - could prove a false economy,” Allan added.