Through a renewed alliance with the Industrial Truck Association, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working to minimize the amount of injuries and deaths related to powered industrial trucks. The renewed alliance is for another five years, and the primary topics of interest over this time will include tip-over and struck-by dangers.
For those employees who work with these trucks, the alliance will serve to provide more efficient resources and training so that potential life threatening dangers can be more readily recognized and accidents can be prevented.
Other OSHA promotions that will be pushed through this alliance include preventing falls, heat illness, and supporting a “culture of safety.” This culture includes preventing workers from being crushed under fallen equipment such as forklifts.
According to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels, these types of accidents are the fate for far too many workers.
The purpose of the alliance programs that OSHA partakes in is to reduce the work-related casualties, fatalities and illnesses of unions, trade and professional organizations, and other organizations in the community.
Workers need to be educated and well prepared with the proper resources in order to keep safe and for the alliance to properly do its job.