In fact, Frederick said, some workers do not receive the same level of safety training as other employees because of language differences, race, ethnicity, immigration status, or other factors.
This initiative reflects a Biden Administration directive that federal agencies assess whether workers face systemic barriers to accessing programs benefits and opportunities. OSHA will also work to eliminate inequalities in workplace health and safety, and to ensure equal protection for all stakeholders. Under the Biden Administration, Frederick said, OSHA will be “reinvigorated,” and the agency will enhance support for “often forgotten” frontline, vulnerable workers and small employers in essential industries. Temporary employees and those with a year or less in their current jobs are particularly at risk, he said, adding that four of the top five forklift-related violations cited in 2019 involved operator training. Since FY 2011, forklift-related fatalities increased by 19.7% and serious injuries increased by 32.8%. James Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), said that in FY 2019 (the most recent complete statistics) there were 79 forklift-related fatalities and 8,140 serious injuries. With many more forklifts in operation during the pandemic, he said, companies have had to innovate safety protocols while maintaining existing standards. Gusler noted that the pandemic-created surge in e-commerce demand is a factor in the current “very robust” lift truck market. ITA President Brian Feehan and Jay Gusler, ITA Chairman and Executive Vice President of Operations, Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas , opened with remarks on the industry’s ongoing commitment to forklift safety. Typically held in Washington, D.C., with an educational program, regulatory updates, and meetings with members of Congress, this year’s event was limited to the educational segment and was presented as a webcast. The Industrial Truck Association (ITA) sponsored the eighth annual National Forklift Safety Day on June 8, 2021, an event designed to educate customers, government officials, and other stakeholders about the safe use of forklifts and the importance of training operators and pedestrians who work around forklifts.
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