A Stand-Down for Safety is a facility-wide meeting that occurs during each shift of operation focused on communicating critical safety information and increasing awareness of safety risks.
In August 2014, MFCS conducted Stand-Downs for Safety for all of its manufacturing facilities for a few reasons. OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck (including forklifts) Standard is one of OSHA’s top ten most cited standards. MFCS felt it critical to address forklift driver safety and pedestrian awareness. Each year in the United States, nearly 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift-related incidents.
MFCS had been collecting incident and near miss data across the organization. Trends began to emerge that helped MFCS focus on and define continuous improvement efforts. MFCS reviewed near miss and incident data across MFCS and found that forklift risks, ranging from pedestrian close calls, to minor property damage, to unexpected load shifts, needed to be addressed.
MFCS helps to ensure employee safety by increasing awareness of the importance to: keep forklift license and training up to date, always being aware of surroundings, and following best practices for crossing forklift traffic and approaching a forklift:
MFCS Discovered Ways to Reduce Risks of Forklift/Pedestrian Incidents
• Eliminate Mobile Equipment (when possible)
• Segregate forklift traffic from pedestrian traffic
• Install barriers to protect pedestrians
• Restrict Areas (no pedestrians)
• Create Walk Ways and Safe Zones (no forklifts)
• Increase Awareness by reviewing site safety policies
• Train forklift drivers and pedestrians
• Conduct more Stand-Downs for Safety (when needed)