On October 11th, GION held the "2nd GION Forklift Competition" at the GION Metropolitan Area Terminal in Aikawa Town, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The competition was held with the aim of maintaining and improving the technical skills cultivated through daily work and reinforcing basic knowledge of safe work practices. Fourteen forklift operators selected from sales offices across the country participated.
In the morning, a safety training session was held by Toyota L&F Kanagawa to review knowledge of safe operation. The subsequent written exam rigorously tested fundamental knowledge for accident prevention, including laws and regulations related to forklift operation and the principles of driving.
<Scenes from the written exam>
The afternoon practical exam involved using a reach forklift, the most frequently used tool on site, to move a block of pallets stacked on a nestainer (steel storage rack) to the nestainer on the opposite side. The scoring criteria were detailed, testing accuracy in everything from basic operation to cargo handling.
<Scenes from the practical exam>
Awards were presented based on the results of the written and practical exams. The top three finishers—S. from Kanagawa Second Center (winner), S. from Samukawa Center (runner-up), and N. from Iwatsuki Center (third place)—were all awarded prize money.
<Demonstration performance by Ms. S from Kanagawa Second Center, the winner>
The winner, Ms. S, commented, "Winning was a great encouragement for me, especially as I am in a position to mentor new employees. What I felt was most important throughout the competition was ensuring safety from the perspective of a pedestrian who is not riding a forklift. In the future, I would like to contribute not only to zero accidents but also to maintaining the quality of the products entrusted to us."
