Dot Foods workers take home prize in Forklift Rodeo
Dot Foods workers take home prize in Forklift Rodeo
June 12, 2012
Forklift drivers from Dot Foods Corp.'s Liverpool, New York distribution center won the annual Forklift Rodeo last Wednesday, sending them to the next round of competition, Syracuse Online reports.
According to the news source, drivers competed in three categories, including sit down lift trucks, narrow aisle operations and the electric pallet jack contests. The winners of the three events are all first-time contestants, and all work as Dot Foods warehouse material handlers. The event saw four competitors, however in the weeks leading up to the competition, more than 40 attempted to qualify.
The timed event features an indoor course across an entire warehouse. Contestants were required to navigate the area without bumping into pallets, knocking them over and performing unsafe maneuvers.
"The event is really about safety," Howard Bryerton, local rodeo organizer. "We prefer they not ride like bucking broncos, so to speak."
To date, nobody from Liverpool has won the national contest, slated for June 21.
Such events raise awareness of forklift safety, and for good reason. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, thousands of accidents are reported each year that are linked to improper use of forklifts.
