Sturtevant, WI -- (SBWire) -- 06/30/2016 --Jillian Burrow, Topper Industrial marketing manager, recently explained why the National Forklift Safety Day should be the last one. The Third Annual National Forklift Safety Day was celebrated June 14, 2016. Hopefully it was celebrated for the last time as more and more North American factories and distributions are moving to a Fork Truck Free environment.

In the $165 billion U.S. materials handling industry, safety and productivity go hand-in-hand, less and less should be spent on fork lifts, which are the number one safety hazard causing thousands of deaths each year. One in six of all workplace fatalities in the U.S. are forklift related.

According to Burrow, safety is driving momentum for forklift-free environments. Although training and legislation are instrumental in managing some degree of risks associated with forklifts, statistics reveal numerous accidents occur every year, providing reasons for greater acceptance of forklift-free environments. This motivation towards forklift-free leads the way to adopting a more efficient form of transport–vision guided vehicles (VGVs)–favorably driving benefits beyond safety and profitability.

Fork-free environments are inherently safer. Forklifts cause just 1% of industrial accidents, but over 10% of industrial injuries. Industry leaders still have to find safer ways to move palletized and heavy loads, but those methods are available. At the very least, reducing the number of forklifts helps workers operate safer, since fewer drivers are needed to be trained. With a hundred annual deaths and 20,000 serious injuries every year, forklifts tend to be the most dangerous machinery in any industrial operation. There are risks with the various fork-free methods—there are always risks in handling heavy unit loads—but they tend to be mitigated to a greater degree.

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About Topper Industrial
For more than twenty years, Topper Industrial, (http://www.TopperIndustrial.com) based just outside of Milwaukee, WI, has been a leader in the material handling equipment industry. The company's product roster features industrial carts, conveyors, lifts, lifts & tilts, shipping racks, containers, casters, and cart components. From mother-daughter carts to quad steer carts to tilt carts and rotate carts, Topper's material handling solutions make delivering material line side more effective through more efficient practices. Topper Industrial has a team of experienced professional experts able to assess and provide the right product for all material handling equipment requirements.

Topper Industrial is a proud member of MHI. The Topper Industrial client roster includes Anderson Windows, Detroit Diesel, Honda, Kia Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Aramark, Johnson Controls, Whirlpool, and Caterpillar. Follow on Twitter @TopperInd. Call 800-529-0909.