Remarks for Industrial Truck Association
National Forklift Safety Day

Acting Assistant Secretary Amanda Wood Laihow
June 10, 2025
Press Club in Washington, DC

As prepared for delivery

Opening

Thank you, Brett, for that introduction. And thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this year. I'm happy to be participating in my first National Forklift Safety Day to talk about the importance of forklift safety practices, and I am proud to be representing OSHA as the Acting Assistant Secretary.

OSHA holds a special place for me, as I've had the opportunity to get to know the agency's work over time, serving as a Commissioner at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. I reviewed workplace safety and health cases from worksites across the country to determine whether employers were following current safety and health standards.

That experience gave me a better understanding of the importance of workplace safety and the significance of partnerships in achieving it with organizations like you.

This has been my focus throughout my career. Now, in my role at OSHA, I look forward to continuing this work – the work of ensuring America's workers go home safe at the end of day.

Our Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, also shares the same vision. In her more than two decades of public service, she has focused on strengthening communities, supporting workers, and driving economic growth.

Currently, she's on a nationwide listening tour to hear more about the challenges and opportunities facing everyday Americans at work. Throughout the Secretary's travel, she will meet with various workers, union members, employers, and community leaders, to ensure real-world experiences and help shape and modernize federal labor policies and practices, by taking the conversation directly to America's workforce.

The tour is just another way the Department and OSHA are looking for ways to improve, and that includes listening more intentionally to you— because you know better, than anyone, what works and what doesn't, and that's the best way to see results.

Last week, OSHA's Assistant Secretary nominee David Keeling testified in a nomination hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. We are looking forward to having an Assistant Secretary, but as we await the confirmation process, we continue to advance the important work we do every day in creating safer workplaces and stronger opportunities for all.

SHMS and Operator Training

While there has been real progress in improving forklift safety, the numbers show that our work must continue.

In 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 67 workplace fatalities in forklift-related incidents in private industry. That's 67, too many.

And in fiscal year 2024, OSHA's Powered Industrial Truck Standard remained one of the most frequently cited – ranking sixth across all industries and second in general industry, with more than 2,400 citations issued and more than $8 million in penalties.

These figures remind us that continued investment in operator training and safety and health management programs is essential. They also reflect the opportunity we have to work together and expand on the important work that you have done for others to build on.

As forklift manufacturers and suppliers, you're in a unique position to lead the way. Whether it's through equipment design, training resources, or industry partnerships, your commitment to safety can impact workplaces nationwide.

Compliance Assistance

The same principles that guide the safe design of powered industrial trucks—anticipating risks, implementing safeguards, and constantly improving—are at the heart of effective safety and health management programs.

These systems rely on leading indicators—such as training participation and routine safety audits—to identify and address hazards before they cause harm. That's how we can, together, shift from a reactive to proactive safety approach.

As your industry evolves with automation and new technologies, safety must evolve in tandem. I applaud the work you're already doing by providing training and resources around the use of unmanned powered industrial trucks—an important response to the growing complexity of modern worksites.

But this isn't just about protecting operators; it's about safeguarding everyone who works around this equipment.

One way we can make real progress together is through compliance assistance, an essential part of how we can support businesses in building safer workplaces. OSHA offers a wide range of compliance assistance resources, including general and industry-specific fact sheets, FAQs, compliance assistance and toolkits to help strengthen safety and health programs. We encourage everyone to use these helpful resources.

By providing support from the top down and removing any barriers at every level, we can help businesses not only meet safety and health requirements, but also grow stronger, more successful safety and health programs that benefit both employers and workers.

As we focus on the importance of workplace safety and what we can do in this administration, we're taking a balanced approach – valuing partnerships and compliance assistance as essential strategies alongside traditional enforcement. When employers lead the way and share what works, the entire industry benefits.

And that's where your role is so critical. You have the ability to influence safety culture across your customer and end user landscape – not just through the equipment you produce but by setting a standard in how safety is managed, communicated, and lived out on the ground in virtually all industries.

Current OSHA Initiatives

To support that, OSHA has been focusing its efforts on initiatives that meet employers where they are.

One key part is the work we are doing collaboratively through all the agency's cooperative programs. These efforts span from on-site consultation with small and medium-sized businesses, to recognizing exemplary safety and health programs through our Voluntary Protection Program.

We are placing a strong focus on expanding VPP so that more workplaces – regardless of industry or size – can benefit from engaging with OSHA and one another to build and enhance their programs along the way. Expanding the VPP will not only elevate individual organizations but also strengthen our broader culture of prevention and shared responsibility.

Through VPP, we recognize the successful efforts of businesses and labor coming together to create or enhance existing programs that provide safe and healthful working conditions.

As we work to grow our cooperative programs, we are committed to engaging with workplaces at all stages of their safety and health journey.

Whether a company is just beginning to develop a program or refining an existing one, we want to help those who are ready to improve by giving them a clear path to success.

Last week, we announced that we are reemphasizing the use of Letters of Interpretation (LOIs) for employers and workers as a key tool to help them understand how to comply with Federal OSHA standards, regulations, and section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act in specific workplace situations.

OSHA is committed not only to enforcing workplace safety standards but also helping employers and workers understand how to comply with them.

We are also continuing our work to protect workers from hazardous heat exposure in indoor and outdoor workplaces. On June 16, we will host a virtual public hearing.

The hearing can be viewed online without registering. Links to watch will be posted on OSHA's rulemaking webpage.

OSHA also has several campaigns that help business owners with compliance by increasing awareness of safety and health topics. One of those is the Safe and Sound Campaign.

• o This year's theme focuses on Emergency Preparedness and will be held from August 11-17.
• o I know that ITA has been involved in the past and I hope you spread the word and join us again this year.

Before I close, I would like to touch on another equally important aspect of workplace safety – psychological safety and mental health.

We recognize that some hazards aren't always visible. There is a critical layer of safety that sometimes gets overlooked. A lack of psychological safety can contribute to stress, anxiety, and burnout.

Mental health is just as important as physical safety – especially in industries such as forklift operations and manufacturing, which often require workers to operate heavy machinery, manage repetitive tasks, and make quick decisions.

These are fast-paced environments that rely on clear communication, focus, and working together, to keep operations running smoothly and people safe.

Whether it's sharing an idea or pointing out a potential hazard, people should feel comfortable and supported at work, knowing that their well-being matters.

Supporting psychological health is crucial to truly creating safe workplaces and helps prevent incidents before they happen. Promoting mental well-being isn't just the right thing to do, it's a smart investment in safer, healthier, more productive businesses.

Closing

In closing, I want to leave you with this: Let's keep listening to each other and learning from one another. Because when we work together – industry, government, employers – we can create policies and guidance that don't just look good on paper, but protect the people who matter the most, the end users.

The ones on the shop floor. The ones who rely on us to get it right. At OSHA, we want to build a future where safety is not just a priority – it's a shared value that shows in every decision we make.

I look forward to future collaboration. Again, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today.

-END-