Companies based the city which use fork lift trucks are being urged to take advantage of free safety support.
Research into accidents at work, carried out as part of the annual National Fork Lift Safety Week, showed more workers have been hospitalised by fork lift trucks in Milton Keynes in recent years than anywhere else in the region.
One serious fork lift-related accident has taken place in Milton Keynes every two weeks. Research by the National Fork Lift Truck Association places the city 8th in the national blackspot table.
The FLTA has responded by issuing a specially-created free pack of safety resources, vouchers and information to businesses based in Milton Keynes.
Materials and videos are also available online, along with a presentation explaining the importance of managers’ involvement in protecting their employees from fork lift truck accidents.
FLTA chief executive David Ellison said: “It is a shocking fact but every single day someone in the UK is hospitalised or even killed by a fork lift truck.
“The victim is twice as likely to be a pedestrian working nearby as it is the truck operator themselves, so with fork lifts working at an estimated 100,000 sites it really is a message for the public at large – keep your eyes open, and keep well clear.”
He was speaking in advance of National Fork Lift Safety Week (September 20-26) www.fork-truck.org.uk.
Mr Ellison added: “Since we started National Fork Lift Safety Week, that accident toll has fallen, which shows that a little extra caution can go a long way. Now we hope that by equipping local companies to spread the safety message, that same effect can make Milton Keynes a far safer place to work.”
