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On average, once a week in the Netherlands, someone is seriously injured after being struck by a forklift truck. This is according to the 2025 Workplace Accidents Monitor, published by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate on 9 September 2026. Technical faults rarely play a part in these incidents. Most collisions are caused by the way work is organised around the forklift, and that is therefore where the greatest potential for improvement lies in ensuring a safe warehouse.
What the Labour Inspectorate investigated
Between 2020 and 2025, the inspectorate investigated 309 reportable collisions involving forklift trucks [Source: Workplace Accidents]. Ten victims died. For the purposes of the investigation, the term ‘forklift truck’ also includes stackers, order pickers, electric pallet trucks, reach trucks and telehandlers. Of all 531 collisions investigated by the inspectorate during that period, nearly 60 per cent involved one of these vehicles.
Most accidents occurred indoors, in the transport and storage, manufacturing and retail sectors. Victims mainly sustained injuries to their feet, ankles and legs. Fractures were by far the most common type of injury.
The most striking figure relates to the direction of travel. In 51 per cent of collisions, the forklift truck was reversing. In 72 per cent of cases, the driver did not see the victim or saw them too late, and in 65 per cent of cases, the victim did not see or hear the forklift approaching. Furthermore, 84 per cent of the victims were engaged in work that had nothing to do with the forklift.
A technical fault was a factor in only 3 per cent of accidents. Speeding was a factor in 8 per cent, whilst insufficient driver training was a factor in 11 per cent. Anyone working to ensure a safe warehouse environment should therefore first look at the surroundings and the routines.
Why a safe warehouse requires more than just instructions
The Labour Inspectorate highlights ‘attentional blindness’. A dangerous situation may well be visible, but the brain does not consciously register it. This is more likely to happen when someone is concentrating on a task, is distracted or is working in a busy environment. It can happen to the driver as well as to pedestrians.
Fixed routines make matters worse. Anyone who walks or drives the same route every day expects there to be no one at a particular spot. A colleague standing there unexpectedly therefore goes unnoticed. Haste and time pressure further reduce concentration.
The inspectorate therefore concludes that organisational measures alone are unlikely to be sufficient in all cases. Even experienced staff who are familiar with their instructions can overlook something. A safe warehouse takes such errors into account rather than assuming they will not occur.
What the law requires for a safe warehouse
Every employer with staff must carry out a risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) and draw up an action plan. The ten risk hotspots set out in the Healthy and Safe Warehouse Code are a practical tool for identifying risks in the warehouse.
Article 7.4a of the Working Conditions Decree applies to the forklift truck itself. A piece of work equipment that is subject to wear and tear or ageing must be inspected by an expert as often as necessary. The law does not specify a fixed interval. The explanatory notes to the Health and Safety at Work Decree provide a guideline of at least one inspection per year, and this is the norm in practice.
A forklift certificate is not a legal requirement in the Netherlands, although many people believe it is. However, employers are required to provide effective training on the work and the associated risks, in accordance with Section 8 of the Working Conditions Act. A certificate is a common way of demonstrating this.
If an accident does occur, there is a duty to report it. Any accident resulting in hospitalisation, permanent injury or death must be reported immediately to the Dutch Labour Inspectorate.
A safe warehouse starts with the route
The Working Conditions Act stipulates a fixed order of measures: first tackle the source, then technical measures, then organisational arrangements, and only finally personal protective equipment. Many checklists start with safety footwear and high-visibility vests. The figures from the inspectorate point in a different direction.
In 60 per cent of the collisions investigated, there were no markings, signage or barriers along the route. In a further 29 per cent of cases, they were present but insufficiently visible or in poor condition. The first step is therefore to physically separate pedestrians from forklift trucks and, where possible, reduce the number of manoeuvres. A walkway with a barrier provides better protection than a yellow line on the floor.
Next comes technology. Following an accident, employers cite, amongst other things, reversing sensors, better lighting, mirrors, speed limiters and systems that prevent untrained staff from starting a forklift truck. Some companies are exploring AI applications that can detect people near a forklift more quickly. According to the inspectorate, collision detection and automatic braking appear to be effective, as they also work when the operator is momentarily inattentive.
Only then do the traffic plan, training and personal protective equipment come into play. LIMA Intern Transport, a specialist in internal transport, for example, provides a multi-day forklift training course in a purpose-built, CCV-certified warehouse. Trainees operate forklift trucks, reach trucks, electric pallet trucks and stackers there, and complete the course with an internal transport certificate. To ensure a safe warehouse environment, additional on-the-job training on the workplace floor remains necessary, as every warehouse has its own tight bends and blind junctions.
The forklift truck in a safe warehouse
A safe warehouse also has forklifts that are suited to the space and the work. A forklift that is too large for the aisle width can lead to extra manoeuvres and more reversing – precisely the moment when half of all collisions occur. When choosing a new or hired forklift, it is therefore important to consider how often the driver will need to turn round and reverse. Suppliers such as LIMA offer warehouses not only reach trucks, order pickers and stackers, but also special narrow-aisle trucks for storage areas where there is little room to manoeuvre.
The inspection assesses whether the machine is in good working order. LIMA, an accredited VA inspection company, carries out an annual safety inspection of all internal transport equipment and combines this with periodic preventive maintenance. The technicians are themselves certified inspectors. According to LIMA, the company keeps a record of the maintenance history and the schedule for the next inspection for each machine, ensuring that a deadline does not pass unnoticed. A machine that meets the requirements is awarded a VA safety inspection certificate.
Even a certified forklift truck can still collide with someone on a route without barriers. Inspection and layout are two separate issues, and a safe warehouse addresses both.
In addition to the annual inspection, a brief check should be carried out before each shift. The driver checks the forklift truck before use and reports any faults to their supervisor. A faulty forklift truck should then be taken out of service until it has been repaired. LIMA provides a replacement machine for this purpose when a part needs to be ordered, thereby reducing the temptation to continue driving a faulty forklift.
Self-assessment: how safe is your warehouse?
These questions will help you quickly assess the state of your warehouse.
- Are walkways and driving routes physically separated, with barriers at the busiest points?
- Do you know how many reversing manoeuvres there are per shift, and can you reduce that number?
- Do your forklift trucks have reversing sensors, a blue spotlight or some other warning system for pedestrians?
- Can only an authorised and trained member of staff start a forklift truck?
- Has every forklift been inspected by an expert in the past year, with a report that you can show us?
- Has the RI&E been updated following the latest change to the layout or the work process?
- Do managers know that a serious accident must be reported immediately?
Every question you answer ‘no’ to is a concrete starting point for a safe warehouse. The full report containing all the figures is available on the Dutch Labour Inspectorate’s website.