Fork Lift Truck Association to judge Safe Site Superstars of the food industry this year

Launched in 2008, the Safe Site Award is undoubtedly one of the most important prizes presented at the Fork Lift Truck Association’s (FLTA) Annual Awards for Excellence.
Fork lift operating companies, from across all sectors, compete to see who has implemented the best initiatives to improve site safety – be they pioneering, economic, or simply highly effective.
As in previous years, an impressive number of companies entered their safe site solutions for the 2017 Award. The list of finalists features no less than three businesses from food and drink industries…
Not content with winning the Safe Site Award in 2015, G’s Fresh Beetroot is back. A workplace transport risk assessment identified the need for more robust controls to prevent unauthorised access to busy yard and warehouse areas. A new yard barrier now controls vehicle and pedestrian site access, and an audio-visual warning announces pedestrians entering the hazardous yard area.
British brewer of traditional ale, Hall and Woodhouse, conducted a complete review of fork lift truck operations at its brewery in Blandford St Mary, Dorset, utilising guidance and risk assessments from the FLTA. This prompted changes to site and traffic management and layout. Trucks were also fitted with the latest safety enhancements. In addition, staff were retrained with new, safer practices and all staff are now actively encourage to report dangerous practices and near-misses, resulting in a four-fold increase in reporting.
Unilever UK Ltd took action at its Trafford Park factory, which resulted in greater worker engagement and three years without a single lift truck related accident. A worker involvement study provided an understanding of the site’s health and safety culture. Additional cost analysis, analysing all accidents and near misses, revealed accident causes and key issues in need of addressing. Influencing work culture, regular meetings and discussions were established, along with safety pledges, competitions and more.
With so many excellent entries, it won’t be easy for the FLTA’s panel of expert industry judges to pick a decisive champion. The winner will be announced at a black-tie ceremony in March.