Every year in the UK, more than 1300 people are injured by forklifts at work. Workplace injuries put employees out of work, reduce efficiency, lower employee morale and damage your company’s reputation.
A happy, safe workplace gets far more done. So, risk assessments, pre-use inspections and forklift maintenance must be completed to reduce the risk of injury… or worse.
Preventing Injuries and Fatalities
The most common causes of forklift accidents are:
- Excessive speed
- Overloading
- Inadequate training
- Improper driving techniques
- Pedestrian interaction
- Poor communications
- Poor inspections
- Lack of services and maintenance
Consequences of workplace injuries
There are many consequences of an injury at work, for both you and your employees:
- Human Consequences- Employees are out of work, the mental and financial challenges this creates, and employee morale is reduced.
- Financial- Insurance premiums rise, compensation fees, and the cost of recruiting a replacement
- Unforeseen costs- efficiency drops, reputational damage, overtime payments or changes to shift patterns to cover employee absence
Human Impact Beyond the Physical Injury
The biggest consequence of a workplace injury is the impact on the injured worker. Their injuries may leave them unable to work, making it hard to support themselves and their family. As well as financially, this can impact employees psychologically, too. Injured workers may experience depression due to not working and anxiety at the prospect of returning to work for fear of being injured again.
It is not just the injured employee who will be impacted. Their colleagues may become concerned about sustaining similar injuries or disgruntled with their friend’s injury. 70% of Forklift Truck accidents in 2025 could have been prevented by following HSE guidelines.
Reporting injuries and taking necessary actions to prevent them from being repeated shows your employees you’re taking safety seriously and helps maintain confidence that they’re in a safe working environment.
Financial Impact: Claims, Fines, and Insurance Premiums
Injuries caused by FLTs, like any workplace injury, may result in a compensation claim. But this is not the only financial impact a workplace injury has…
Insurance premiums rise following workplace injuries. Equally, creating a workplace which prioritises Health & Safety can help to reduce them.
Additionally, if you or your company are found liable for an injury on your site, you can incur fines and penalties. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a legal duty to protect employees. Failure to do so can result in prosecution and substantial fines.
Hidden Operational Costs of FLT Accidents
Forklift accidents often require repairs to the FLT itself, which reduces productivity on-site. As does the time spent reporting the injury, looking after the injured worker, and planning how to manage their absence.
You may have to pay employees overtime to make up for the injured worker’s time to recover. Alternatively, recruiting a replacement comes at a cost.
Protecting Your Company Reputation Through Safety
It is hard to keep a workplace injury quiet. People talk. If your company gains a reputation for being unsafe, it becomes hard to hire the best talent, and clients won’t want to risk being associated with you.
⛏️ Pro Tip: The "Near-Miss" Goldmine
To truly lead on safety, don't just record accidents; record near-misses. Encourage operators to use their inspection comments to report "hidden" hazards, such as floor debris or tight corners that almost caused a collision. By addressing these "non-events" reported during daily checks, you can eliminate the root causes of accidents before they ever result in an injury.
Protect Your People and Your Bottom Line
The human and financial costs of a forklift accident are far too high to leave to chance. While the legal and insurance consequences are significant, the most effective way to manage risk is to stop accidents before they happen.
At SG World, we help businesses across the UK move from reactive maintenance to proactive safety compliance. Our range of safety management tools is designed to fit seamlessly into your daily operations, providing the documentation you need for a robust audit trail and the visual indicators required to keep your site safe. From daily pre-use checks to comprehensive safety stations, we provide the tools that help you uphold your duty of care and maintain a productive, confident workforce.
Streamline Your Safety Compliance
- Ensure Compliance: Meet HSE guidelines with our easy-to-use Forklift Inspection Books .
- Visual Safety: Make equipment status clear to everyone on-site with Inspection Status Indicators .
- Centralised Control: Organise your safety documents in one high-visibility location with our FLT Inspection Stations .
Don’t wait for an accident to review your safety procedures. View our full range of Forklift Safety Solutions here.