Warehouses and loading docks in the U.S. have thousands of lift truck operators as well heavy-truck operators coming and going all day every day, but the trucking industry has historically focused most of its discussions about safety on truck drivers only. Not so in the UK. The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) and Interactive Driving Systems have officially unveiled a new online service, designed to improve safety and service productivity in the workplace.
The new program, dubbed Virtual Risk Manager-FLT, is scheduled to go live on the FLTA website (www.fork-truck.org.uk) on July 2. According to developer Interactive Driving Systems, it is a quick and easy tool to help companies meet UK requirements to regularly reassess lift truck operators and identify areas where refresher training might be required.
Once logged into the assessment, a lift truck operator works through a series of questions and scenarios designed to build a personal profile of his or her attitude, knowledge, behaviors and hazard perception. Managers then have access to an information system that provides a breakdown of risk ratings for all their operators to help them plan for future training needs. Individuals who most need attention can be put on a training priority list.
Virtual Risk Manager - FLT is the latest system to be developed by risk management and multimedia specialists Interactive Driving Systems, whose clients include British Telecom, Centrica, Nestlé, Wolseley UK and TNT.
