National Forklift Safety Day and Toyota's Commitment to Safety

Sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA), National Forklift Safety Day serves as a focal point for manufacturers to highlight the safe use of forklifts and the importance of operator training. It also provides an opportunity for the industry to educate customers, policymakers and the administration on forklift operating safety practices. Toyota executives will participate in discussions taking place June 10, 2014 at the Hyatt Capitol Hill located at 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

“At Toyota, we are committed to improving forklift safety by developing innovative lift truck safety features like Toyota’s System of Active StabilityTM, which reduces the likelihood of forklift turnovers,” said Jeff Rufener, President of TMHU. “We are proud to participate in National Forklift Safety Day and applaud the work of the ITA to raise awareness of the importance of forklift safety, maintenance and operator training.”

Powered industrial trucks, or forklifts, originated in the United States in 1917. Since then, annual sales have grown to nearly 190,000 in the U.S. alone. Forklifts are used to move and lift materials and offer load capacities from a few thousand pounds up to 180,000 lbs.

Operator safety training is a key element in forklift safety as:

  • 70 percent of all industrial accidents are operator induced (National Safety Council)
  • Effective training may reduce accident rate by 25 to 30 percent (OSHA)
  • After training lift truck operators, OSHA found a 61 percent improvement in operator performance scores.

Toyota Forklifts of Atlanta wants to help you get OSHA compliant as effectively and affordably as possible. We offer a variety of comprehensive safety programs that cover all types of material handling equipment and can provide a tailor-made program to fit your needs. For more information, or to schedule training, please contact us at (404) 373-1606 or email safety@atlantaforklifts.com.