Report your near misses

Materials handling equipment supplier, Jungheinrich, is warning that forklift truck users of all sizes should implement procedures to report their 'near misses' - the accidents that almost happened.

"Every business should have a procedure for reporting and correcting potential safety hazards and near misses. Supervisors and managers must encourage employees to report all potential safety hazards and near miss accidents and each report should be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and preventative action taken," explains Peter Scott, Jungheinrich UK's group HSE manager.

Most forklift truck accidents are the result of operator error or a poorly designed work flow area.

However, virtually all accidents are preceded by a chain of events or circumstances that would have warned of a potential for danger.

"If near misses are reported frequent danger spots within the operation can be highlighted and steps taken to avoid a more serious incident," says Scott.

Jungheinrich's safety department can help truck users to compile a standard near miss report form to ensure that reporting procedure is correctly followed.