08 Jun Heading Into a New Era for Safety
It might be National Forklift Safety Day, but forklift and warehouse safety should be practiced everyday. Workplace safety has been the number one priority at Toyota Material Handling Systems for both employees and customers. In the warehousing, distribution, and freight industry it is critical to head into the workplace with the proper tools for a successful and safe day. Our Safety Training department strives to go beyond what is required by OSHA standards.
Creating a Safer Atlanta
Toyota Material Handling Systems began Operator Training in Scottdale, Georgia in 1999. To accommodate operators of all skill levels, we constructed a state of the art training facility that provided a safe and controlled mock warehouse. After class room work and written tests were completed operators walked into our driving area. Each operator would take turns driving around racking, practicing safe stops at intersections, pullet pallets at different levels, and even navigating a figure-eight course to help the operator familiarize themselves with steering.
In the beginning, we partnered with our customers to help certify their operators and improve safety in their operations. Then we wanted to bring that opportunity to the general public. In the early 2000s we began offering operator training to anyone that wanted to earn a new skill to bring into the job market. The training facility in Scottdale provided a central location for people all around the metro Atlanta area. Over the next 20 years, thousands of people made their way through our training center and earned their forklift license.
While the main purpose was to get their forklift license, operators left with more than that. Our trainers wanted those operators to leave feeling like they can apply what they learned to every aspect of their life.
“Safety needs to be done in considerable effort. You just can’t put it on a shelf and leave it there when you go home or vacation. You need to be consistently safety conscious no matter what you’re doing whether it is in the garage or laundry room. Stop and take a chance to look around you consider what could possibly happen”. -Lee Longe, Safety Trainer
A New Era
Toyota Material Handling Systems has grown exponentially since 1999. Our Scottdale Training Center has been a very important part of the history of our company. It was time to grow and improve our training department as well. We closed our Scottdale facility in March of 2021 to do just that. We have constructed a training area in our flagship facility in Suwanee that mirrors the previous area in Scottdale. Also, coming in September, a brand new facility in Atlanta. The new location will also have a training area consistent with the area in Suwanee. This allows us to have more coverage and capacity to train more people in the Metro Atlanta area. We are so excited to provide high level training and continue to create a safer Atlanta.
Lastly, we’d like to thank all our customers who shared the operator training experience and being part of this amazing journey with us in Scottdale Training Center! We could not have been as successful without your support! We hope to see you at the new training locations!
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