A national campaign and audit to assess the safety of forklifts will kick off in South Australia.

Conducted under the direction of the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA), the campaign will investigate the dangers of forklifts and the cost to the industry of injuries.

In South Australia, SafeWork SA will concentrate on forklift safety in the wholesale grocery and fruit/vegetable industries.

South Australian statistics alone for the period 2005-08 show there were 2,800 forklift truck related claims, which resulted in total workers compensation costs in excess of $23 million.

The statewide campaign will look at the safety of forklift truck operations, with SafeWork SA inspectors visiting work sites to assess the initial level of compliance and provide guidance, assistance and necessary enforcement to improve forklift operation safety

According to SafeWork SA, the campaign aims to assist employers to safeguard workers from injury, highlight the importance of systematically identifying hazards in workplaces and implement sustainable control measures to eliminate or minimise incidents.

Industrial Conveying (Aust) Managing Director Don Erskine says the campaign is the first example of how across the board Australia is admitting traditional forklifts are not the way of the future.

The industrial equipment company, which has begun rollout of its Automated Warehouse Truck (AWTs), has been focusing on removing traditional forklift trucks from the workplace along with the inherent dangers they cause.

“Our company doesn’t believe in waiting for more injuries and costs, so our AWT solution is already on the Australian market to replace the main cause of these- statistics wherever possible,” Erskine says.

Erskine argues most jobs traditionally handled by forklifts can be adequately performed by completely automated AWT units, removing human traffic from the potential danger zones.

“As a result, management can deploy existing staff to safer duties around the warehouse while the remote control AWTs deliver and retrieve palletised product to and from automated docks,” he says.

AWTs operate completely without driver assistance and navigate using a laser guided or a spot system (or a dual system using both).

“The laser guided system utilises a sensor on top of each truck that scans appropriately positioned reflectors to determine its position while it navigates and carries out inventory assignments,” Erskine says.

Because human intervention is taken out of the equation, an AWT-based system does not stop for lunch breaks, can work multiple shifts without tiring, does not take sick leave and improves overall OH&S as personnel involvement around AWTs is far lower than with lift trucks.

A ‘high lift’ option with a Tri-lateral head allows 180 degree rotation for fast access to all parts of a storage facility.

"Working in sync with AWTs, Industrial Conveyings automated dock systems cater for 20ft, 40ft and 48ft containers and trailers," Erskine adds.

"During the handling process, vehicle/container docking alignment is controlled and verified electronically. Equipment controls are easy to use and minimal training is required."

Erskine says it is no surprise a national authority is making an audit on forklift related injuries during tasks such as loading and unloading vehicles, and it is not before time.

“Workplace audits by SafeWork SA were scheduled to begin in August 2010, so the proof is there that OH&S bodies are extremely serious about the pervasiveness of forklift injury and the blowout in Workers Compensation statistics," he says.

“The HWSA reports injuries from manual tasks and moving objects in both the grocery and fruit/vegetable wholesale industries impose a financial burden on the Australian economy, and that is why we are adamant about the future being largely about AWTs.”

Results of the SafeWork SA campaign are expected by March 2011.