Entries by AITASecretariat

Craig Williams wins AFITA 2026 H&E Grant Award

/in

Craig Williams, Clark Equipment,  was announced as the winner of the 2026  AFITA H&E Grant Award  for Outstanding Service to the Forklift Industry at the 2026 Annual Dinner and Awards on 21 July 2026.

This award honours an individual or individuals from Australian forklift industry who have made an outstanding contribution to the value, recognition or reputation of the industry.

Presented by the President of the Association Dean Watson, the citation for Craig reads:

Craig Williams served as […]

SAFE Work NSW – Priorities for 2026 Include Mobile Plant

/in ,

SafeWork NSW Regulatory Statement 2026–27

Who we are: SafeWork NSW is the state’s work health and safety (WHS) regulator. To prevent deaths, injuries and illness we enforce WHS laws, educate employers and workers, and promote safe, healthy and productive work

Regulatory Priorities

Mobile plant, vehicles
and fixed machinery

  • Prevent injury from being
    hit by mobile plant, vehicle
    rollover or access to moving
    parts of machinery.
  • Focus on agriculture,
    construction and
    manufacturing industries

2026 AFITA Industry Award – Nominations Now Open

/in

AFITA Industry Award 

Call for Nominations for 2026 AFITA Industry Award

In 2023, the Australian Forklift and Industrial Truck Association (AFITA) created an award to honour an individual or individuals from the Australian forklift industry who have made an outstanding contribution to the value, recognition or reputation of the industry.

Named in honour of longstanding Executive Officer and administrative leads Howard and Elizabeth Grant, who supported the AFITA from 1984 until 2023, the HC and ME Grant Award has been won by:

2023 Stan Palmer

2024 Todd Brennan

2025 Steve Takacs

Eligibility: To be eligible for the AFITA Industry Award, […]

The Safety Series Podcast – Lifting Forklift Safety

/in

Safety conversations matter — especially when it comes to forklifts and industrial trucks operating in Australian workplaces.

We’re proud to launch the AFITA Safety Series, a new podcast exploring issues shaping safer operations across our industry. From compliance and industry standards to practical, on-the-ground insights, this series brings together experience, technical knowledge, and industry leadership to support operators, businesses, and safety professionals.

In our first episode, we examine the complexities of using, owning and selling aged manual handling equipment. What changes as equipment gets older? What should businesses be checking? And how […]

AFITA Social Media

/in

The Australian Forklift & Industrial Truck Association (AFITA) is now on Facebook and Instagram.

As the national peak body representing major suppliers of forklift trucks and associated equipment, AFITA works to strengthen safety standards, contribute to Australian industry regulations and support best practice across the materials-handling sector.

Follow us for practical safety guidance, standards updates, industry insights and resources designed to support safer workplaces across Australia.

Find us on Facebook

Find us on Instagram

Assessing Ground Conditions for Mobile Plant – An Interactive guide

/in

On 4 February 2026, Safe Work Australia published the Interactive guide on managing the risks associated with ground conditions. The interactive guide provides practical WHS guidance and information when assessing ground conditions for mobile plant.

Ground conditions can vary dramatically from one workplace to another and even within the one workplace. The ground can appear to be solid, but underneath there may be hazards such as soft or waterlogged soils, voids, or underground services not visible from the surface.

The guide is aimed at people who have a responsibility for mobile plant in the workplace. This includes those who […]

2025 AFITA Industry Award – Nominations Now Open

/in

AFITA Industry Award 

Call for Nominations for 2025 AFITA Industry Award

In 2023, the Australian Forklift and Industrial Truck Association (AFITA) created an award to honour an individual or individuals from Australian forklift industry who have made an outstanding contribution to the value, recognition or reputation of the industry.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the AFITA Industry Award, the nominee:

  • is an individual or individuals from the Australian Forklift & Industrial Truck industry;
  • has made a significant contribution to the value, recognition or reputation of the industry

 The Prize is awarded annually and presented at the AFITA Annual […]

Q&A: Operating Temperatures for Forklifts

/in ,

Question:

What procedures should be followed in electric forklifts operating in a temperature ranging from +40 to -22deg C environments.

Answer:

AS2359-9:2023 states:

4.1.2 Normal Climatic Conditions

For truck operation, the following climatic conditions apply:

  • Ambient temperature for continuous duty , +25 O C
  • Maximum ambient temperature for continuous duty , short term (up to 1h,     +40 O C
  • Lowest ambient temperature for trucks intended for use in normal indoor conditions, +5 O C
  • Lowest ambient temperature for trucks intended for use in normal outdoor conditions,  -20 O C
  • Altitude,   up to 2000 m

[…]

Forklift Accident is Victoria’s First Conviction for Industrial Manslaughter

/in

 

On 19 February 2024, LH Holding Management Pty Ltd, trading as Universal Stone and Marble, was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court  after pleading guilty to a single charge of engaging in negligent conduct that constituted a breach of a duty owed to another person and caused their death.

The company was convicted and fined $1.3 million.

LH Holding Management’s sole director Laith Hanna, 46, was also convicted and placed on a two-year Community Corrections Order to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work and a course in forklift operation after pleading guilty to a single charge under section […]

New Victoria Forklift Safety Guidebook

/in

On 22 May 2025 WorkSafe Victoria  released a new Forklift Safety Guidebook.

In their media release WorkSafe Victoria noted:

The newly-published guidance provides practical advice to employers on the safe use and maintenance of forklifts and highlights the need to separate forklifts from people on the ground.

WorkSafe data shows on average more than one worker every week in Victoria is seriously injured after being struck by forklifts or falling forklift loads.

The guidance outlines ways to reduce the risk by ensuring traffic management systems, such as physical barriers, exclusion zones and signage are in place.

Sadly, eight people have […]