Join EHS, MHL and ITA Members for a Twitter Chat on Forklift Safety, Use #ForkliftSafety

The Twitter chat will provide followers the opportunity to learn more about themes discovered at Forklift Safety Day, which is dedicated to the encouragement of safe behavior around powered industrial trucks. Forklift Safety Day will serve as a focal point for manufacturers to highlight the safe use of forklifts and importance of operator training to reduce fatalities and injuries related to the use of forklifts. Sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA), the day provided an opportunity for the industry to educate customers, policymakers and the administration on forklift operating safety practices. The live twitter chat will run from 1 pm-2 pm (ET).

To join the chat, visit #ForkliftSafety using your Twitter account and observe what is going on in the feed. Questions will be marked as "Q1, Q2, Q3" etc... If you would like to respond to a particular question you can respond with "A1, A2, A3" etc... and finish each tweet with #ForkliftSafety. By doing so, we will be able to see all of your comments and respond accordingly.

QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ASKED:

Note: All questions will be released at the tentative time slots below, but Material Handing & Logistics, EHS Today and ITA members Toyota, Raymond and Trelleborg will respond to any of your questions during the event. If your tweet is too long, please send in segments. Make sure #ForkliftSafety is included at the end of every tweet so we can respond accordingly.

1. How often should operators conduct equipment inspections? And what should be checked? (1PM)
2. How thorough should signage be located throughout a facility? (1:10 PM)
3. How often should forklift drivers be trained? And who should conduct the training? (1:20 PM)
4. What training should be offered to employees who interact with forklifts? (1:25 PM)
5.  What are the elements of a safety training program for forklift operators? (1:30 PM)
6. What are some of the common errors in forklift operation? (1:35 PM)
7. What are the most common accidents/near misses involving forklifts? (1:40 PM)
8. What are some new safety innovations for forklifts? (1:50 PM)

THOUGHT LEADERS AND MODERATORS

Dave Blanchard is the editorial director of Material Handling & Logistics. During his career he has led the editorial management of many of Penton’s best-known brands, including the company’s flagship title, IndustryWeek, as well as Logistics Today (now Material Handling & Logistics), Supply Chain Technology News and Business Finance. With over 25 years of experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its second edition. He is also the supply chain subject matter expert for Penton’s Supply Chain & Manufacturing Group. He has been interviewed numerous times by such media brands as CNBC, USA Today and NPR.

Sandy Smith is editor-in-chief of EHS Today magazine, a Penton publication. She has been writing about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990. She has been interviewed about occupational safety and health for documentaries and television programs, has served as a panelist on roundtables, has provided the keynote address for occupational safety and health conferences and has won national and international awards for her articles. 

Steve Tadd is national marketing manager for Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU). He is responsible for all aspects of marketing Toyota forklifts and material handling products including marketing materials, digital presence, advertising, public relations and general communications. Prior to joining TMHU in 2014, Steve was director of marketing at Nautic Global Group, one of the largest boat manufacturers in the U.S. There, he improved the company’s overall share of the boating industry from 3.3 percent to 4.7 percent, a 42 percent increase in five years. Steve also held several director positions at the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) where he was responsible for funding, governance, strategic planning and industry communications. At NMMA, Steve pioneered the Grow Boating and Discover Boating campaigns, which resulted in a more than 10 percent increase in boating participation in a decade. He was also the national spokesperson for recreational boating and appeared on TV shows including The Today Show and Fox & Friends. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in marketing from University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., where he was a member of the sailing team, and a MBA degree in management and entrepreneurship from Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill.