School is back in session and students across the country are heading back to the books as the summer wraps up. This time of year – with its re-energized focus on learning – presents an ideal opportunity for lumber business owners and operators to bring safety education back to the forefront.
While it may be easy to allow regular training protocols to fall by the wayside as business picks up and staffing remains a challenge, a dedication to safety education can keep staff focused on risk mitigation. This will help business owners keep their teams safe and productive, while their lumber businesses continue to operate profitably without interruption.
Here, we’ll outline some common risks and what training lumber business owners and operators should have in place to protect employees, customers and guests and reduce their exposure to costly losses:
- Forklifts: In recent memory, we have seen forklift losses with minimum payouts reaching at least $100,000. A forklift driver who has not had proper training or who chooses to ignore best practices can put innocent people at risk, cause significant on-site losses and damage lumber products and inventory. To prevent such incidents, staff should be regularly trained on forklift safety. Forklift protocols should require maintaining a speed limit of below 10 miles per hour, define proper load securement practices, warn against sudden turns, insist on using a spotter and remind drivers to follow visibility requirements. For more information, consult the Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company forklift safety guide.
- Cyber: Malware, ransomware and phishing threats continue to plague business owners. Team members should regularly be trained to understand how to identify and respond to these risks. There should also be a clear policy for next steps in the event of an incident. Lumber business owners who don’t have an IT cyber team of their own should consider working with a third-party cyber expert who can provide guidance to help them secure their business and be of immediate service should an incident occur.
- Auto: With the ongoing labor shortage, lumber business owners and operators face growing challenges hiring qualified drivers. With drivers, who may have less experience behind the wheel, fleet safety training must be considered paramount. Staff members should be required to follow a documented fleet safety policy. There should also be regular training on other core driver practices such as defensive driving, load securement, handling fatigue and distracted driving. For more details, review our Sample Fleet Management Policy.
Back to school season serves as a valuable reminder of the power of education. But safety education should be a year-round priority in the lumber industry. Strong safety and training protocols on common risk exposures including forklifts, cyber or auto will help you to position your business for future success. For more information and best practices on training, please contact a PLM representative at CustServ@plmins.com or 1-800-752-1895, or visit our loss control center.
