Toyota Material Handling UK launches their latest free safety resource, a guide for leaders and supervisors to help them manage the day-to-day operation of a forklift truck.

Adding to their range of free safety resources available online at www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk, Toyota Material Handling UK have developed a guide that provides practical advice to managers and supervisors for areas they should consider when operating forklift trucks and other equipment on their site.

Statistics by the HSE show there are more than 800 accidents a year in the UK that involve forklift trucks and in the worst scenario it can cause death or life changing injuries. Even when an incident does not cause a personal injury, it can cause damage to trucks, infrastructure and goods, which means reduced productivity and increased cost.

The aim of this guide is to provide an introduction to managing the operation of a forklift truck and identify areas for consideration including; legislation, product – suitability for use, process – keeping your truck in a safe condition and people – creating a culture of safety. It includes advice for operator training, maintenance, Thorough Examination, daily checks, refuelling and site safety.

Tony Wallis, Sales and Marketing Director for Toyota Material Handling UK says, “The new guide provides advice for leaders and supervisors on how to keep their material handling operation running efficiently but also keeping their team within the warehouse safe. Employers have a legal responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, and we want to try and help all companies to achieve that.”

Wallis adds: “At Toyota we believe that sharing best practice and helping customers to be safe and productive is part of our role as a material handling partner. That is why we continue to develop new resources promoting safety in the workplace, which are always readily available to request on our website”.

The latest guide adds to Toyota’s suite of safety resources which includes; Forklift safety guide, Safe operation posters, daily check template and the manual handling guide.