The provincial government of Alberta has launched a special effort to launch extra inspections at workplaces across the province that use forklifts, the Calgary Herald reported this week. The decision was ignited by a growing number of forklift-related injuries and deaths in recent years, according to Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta’s employment minister.
Last year, Alberta recorded 219 injuries and 116 lost-time claims caused by forklift accidents, Lukaszuk said. There were four deaths in 2008 and one in 2009. Lukaszuk said the ministry will inspect to see that forklift operators are properly trained and operating the equipment safely.
Occupational Health and Safety officers will be examining training and equipment.
