Slough, Berkshire, UK: Toyota Material Handling UK has launched a safety campaign, Taking Care with Toyota, which it plans to promote throughout 2012.
Forklift trucks are involved in nearly a quarter of workplace transport accidents where on average 60 people are killed and 2000 suffer serious injuries annually according to Health and Safety Exeutive.
Tony Wallis, operations director, oyota Material Handling UK, says: “Toyota has always positioned itself as a provider of safe products and services, but we believe promoting safety in the workplace goes beyond providing our customers with the safest trucks, it also requires that we demonstrate to companies the benefits of training their people and putting processes in place to create a culture of safety”.
“In the challenging economic climate, it has become more important for companies to focus on safety, not only to protect their workers, but also to reduce costs relating to injury and damage. As a leader in the industry, we are committed to giving people as much support as we can to work in a safe manner.”
Health and safety is one of the top six critical factors companies consider when acquiring a new truck, demonstrating the importance of safety for material handling equipment users, according to a recent industrial trucks survey by Redshift Research.
Throughout the year the Toyota team will demonstrate equipment to help reduce strain and distribute resources to aid best practice, including the Toyota Manual Handling Guide.
Further resources promoting health and safety in the workplace are also being produced to provide tips for forklift safety, manual handling and the correct operation of equipment. All resources will be available via the Toyota website or be available at regional health and safety shows.
Toyota is providing its team members with information about healthier living and safety in the workplace and having dedicated areas in its depots focused on safety. Toyota has started this process by creating a Safety Dojo at one of its main depots in Leicester. The Safety Dojo is a training area where visitors and employees can learn safety awareness and practices with a hands-on approach.
In addition to the UK Year of Safety, Toyota Material Handling has extended its partnership with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) as an official partner for the Healthy Workplaces campaign for the second year. It joined forces with EU-OSHA in 2011 to promote the importance of maintenance and safe maintenance practices across Europe.
