Accidents between forklift trucks and pedestrians continue to happen in the UK. We look at the dangers at play, and the safety measures which could prevent them. By Tim Kimm, National SHEQ Manager, Grant Handling.

Forklift trucks (FLT) are sturdy workmates, agile and reliable. But they also have the ability to cause devastating accidents when safety procedures aren’t in place.

Earlier this year William Stobart & Son Limited was fined £160,000 following a serious accident which caused an employee to lose both his legs.

Employee, Andrew McAuley, was working in a warehouse near Warrington when the accident occurred. He was close to a forklift that was carrying two pallets of slate tiles.

Unfortunately, the top pallet was not secured, and when the forklift turned, the pallets fell off. The top one hit Andrew and crushed his legs, causing him to lose them both.

According to the UKMHA, there is at least one major forklift accident in the UK daily where an employee is hospitalised. There are also countless minor incidents causing injuries, reducing productivity and damaging trucks, racking and valuable stock that will all be costly to small businesses.

How are you protecting your team from life-changing accidents? Or minor incidents? What training have you invested in? Which alerts do you receive? Here are Grant Handling’s Safety recommendations for small businesses which operate forklifts.

Invest in Operator Training

Safety training in a forklift truck environment is essential to not only prevent accidents and injuries, but to ensure legal compliance, and protect employee health. Done right, it can also enhance productivity and reduce costs.

Small businesses which operate Forklifts can enhance their business’ culture of safety with Grant Handling’s RTITB accredited training. It’s a must to train staff to use Forklifts safely, as required by health and safety laws.

Grant Handling’s accredited Forklift Operator Training helps prevent accidents – and fines. Here is a list of the accredited courses available:

Novice Course: For a candidate with no experience or prior knowledge of operating Manual Handling Equipment (MHE).

Experienced Operator Course: For a candidate who has experience of operating the equipment but never undergone formal basic training.

Refresher Course: For a candidate who has previously been trained on the same type of equipment and now wishes to update their knowledge, skills and gain re-certification.

Conversion Course: For a candidate who has previously been trained on a piece of material handling equipment (MHE) but now wishes to undertake training on a similar piece of equipment in another ABA training category.

MHE Familiarisation Course: For operators adapting to new forklift models with different controls in the same ABA training category.

Bespoke Course: Customised training to meet specific needs.

Training can be conducted at Grant Handling’s RTITB accredited facility or at your premises, including training on most material handling equipment. We also provide short-term hire trucks for training purposes.

Operators receive a certificate of basic training, hands-on tuition from RTITB accredited tutors, bespoke training leading to certification, courses tailored to all experience levels and – if you need them – short-term hire trucks can be provided for training.

Embrace Safety in Design

A well-designed operating space is also key to safety. Here are some core design principles which the UKMHA recommend in places which operate forklift trucks.

• Segregate pedestrians and trucks where possible and ensure any crossing points are clear and well signposted.
• Aisles should be wide, free of obstacles and ideally one-way.
• Consider speed and the use of wall-mounted mirrors to enhance visibility.
• Minimise reversing and ramp use.
• Provide high levels of lighting and ventilation.
• Provide separate spaces for truck parking and maintenance.
• All sites kept clean, tidy and maintained.

How else can operators stay up-to-date on FLT safety?

Industry events are a great way to stay on top of safety practices and aware of new safety products. IMHX is an intralogistics event for professionals who are involved in the handling, movement or transportation of goods throughout the supply chain. It offers expert-led safety seminars as well as product demos. It’s also a great place to network. The next one takes place 9 – 11 September 2025 (save the date.)

Warehouse and storage facilities – in large and small operations – earned recognition for their strong performance during COVID-19, and kept operations running smoothly during challenging Brexit trade negotiations. To sustain this important sector, and attract the talent we need, we must ensure it’s both known – and is – a safe place to work.

Is your storage operation safe? Or are you at risk of life-changing accidents and expensive fines?

Find out about Grant Handling’s RTITB accredited training courses here