First ever National Fork Lift Safety Week takes place

This week sees the first ever National Fork Lift Safety Week take place in the UK.

According to the organisers of the event, the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA), September will be the deadliest month of 2008 in terms of for the construction industry.

The FLTA claims that two workers will be killed by fork lifts in the UK this month and has set up a campaign to end what it called the "unacceptably high toll of death and injury".

According to the FLTA: "Although they do an unparalleled amount of good work, the UK's 350,000 fork lift trucks account for more serious accidents at work than cars and HGVs combined, hospitalising over 400 employees each year."

Research has suggested that up to two-thirds of accidents involving forklifts kill or injure the person who was not driving. As a result, anyone visiting or working at one of the 100,000 firms estimated to be use fork lifts could be at risk of death or injury.

National Fork Lift Safety Week takes place from September 22nd until 28th.