Each June, National Forklift Safety Month serves as a valuable reminder of how critical safety is to the material handling industry. But it’s not just a time for awareness—it’s a prime opportunity for your dealership to strengthen customer relationships, differentiate yourself in a competitive market, and drive growth in your parts and service departments.
Forklifts are essential to warehouse and distribution operations, but they also present serious risks. According to OSHA data, thousands of injuries and dozens of fatalities occur each year due to forklift-related incidents. Many of these are preventable with the right equipment, training, and safety protocols in place. For dealers, that reality presents both a responsibility and a business opportunity.
In a previous edition of mine on this topic, I emphasized how offering safety-related products and services reinforces your role as a trusted advisor to your customers. This year, I want to expand that idea by focusing on how smart safety strategies can translate into tangible sales and profitability gains for your parts and service departments.
Safety is More Than a Checklist—It’s a Sales Conversation
Many dealerships treat safety as a compliance issue—important, but not necessarily strategic. That’s a missed opportunity. When your parts and service teams actively promote safety products, inspections, and training, you create new touchpoints to serve your customers and generate additional revenue.
Think about your service technicians. They’re often the first to notice missing seatbelts, worn backup alarms, or cracked mirrors during PMs or on-site calls. Equipping your service team with a list of safety upsell opportunities—back-up cameras, LED warning lights, pedestrian alert systems—turns routine maintenance into a conversation that protects people and boosts your bottom line.
At the same time, your parts counter team should be fluent in safety solutions. Do they have projection lights, strobe beacons, and horn kits ready to recommend when a customer comes in for a standard replacement part? Are they promoting high-visibility gear, impact barriers, or overhead guard covers during June’s safety spotlight? These small additions not only enhance your customer’s fleet; they contribute directly to your sales mix.
The Rise of Visual and Proximity-Based Safety Tech
One area that continues to evolve—and create opportunity for dealerships—is visual safety and proximity alert technology. Traditional safety lights and alarms still serve a critical function, but today’s options go far beyond the basics. For example, TVH’s Play It Safe product line includes:
- Blue and red projection lights that visually alert pedestrians to a forklift’s presence, even around blind corners or high-rack intersections.
- Rotating beacons and LED strobes to enhance visibility in busy or low-light environments.
- Zone lights that create visible safety zones around a forklift to maintain proper pedestrian distance.
These products are effective, affordable, easy to install, and ideal for bundling into fleet safety upgrades or PM packages. As fleets age or companies add new operators, these simple add-ons can drastically reduce risk. That means ongoing revenue streams for your dealership through retrofits, service calls, and parts replenishment.
PPE and Facility Safety: Expand Beyond the Forklift
Forklift safety doesn’t end at the lift truck. Dealerships should also offer personal protective equipment (PPE) and facility safety products. Many of your parts suppliers’ catalogs include:
- Hi-vis clothing and safety vests
- Hard hats, face shields, and safety glasses
- Hand and foot protection
- Column guards, floor striping, and pedestrian barriers
For customers trying to meet warehouse safety audits or ANSI/OSHA standards, these items are often purchased in bulk and replenished regularly. By keeping them stocked and suggesting them during sales conversations, your dealership can expand its aftermarket footprint beyond just forklift components.
Even something as simple as a safety mirror in a warehouse aisle or a replacement horn on an older unit shows that your dealership is thinking ahead for your customers. That builds trust and repeat business.
Turn Safety into Service Opportunities
National Forklift Safety Month is also the perfect time to offer safety inspections as a service. Whether performed by your shop techs or field service team, these walk-throughs can flag missing or damaged components and lead directly to quotes for:
- New seat belts or operator restraints
- Wheel and tire replacements
- Lighting upgrades
- Backup alarms or cameras
These inspections take relatively little time but can generate meaningful add-on sales while providing clear value to the customer. More importantly, they show your dealership’s proactive commitment to keeping your customers compliant and safe.
From Compliance to Competitive Advantage
When your dealership leans into safety, you aren’t just checking a box—you’re carving out a competitive edge. Customers increasingly want suppliers who take a holistic view of their operations. If your team consistently points out safety risks, recommends helpful solutions, and offers easy ways to stay compliant, you’re more than a vendor. You’re a partner.
And that partnership pays off. Safety products generally have healthy margins, and bundling them with standard parts orders or service visits increases average ticket size. Customers are more likely to stick with vendors who help them avoid costly accidents and improve workplace morale.
National Forklift Safety Month is a built-in marketing campaign that dealerships can and should leverage. Host a safety-themed open house. Promote safety bundles on your website and social media. Equip your team with talking points and flyers. Run a contest for operators who complete safety refreshers. Send an email campaign featuring your top-selling safety items.
Whatever you do, don’t let June come and go without making the most of it. Safety doesn’t just protect your customers—it can also protect and grow your business.
About the Author:
Chris Aiello is the Business Development Manager at TVH Parts Co. He has been in the equipment business for over 19 years, serving in various roles, including service manager, quality assurance manager, and business development manager. Chris now manages a national outside sales team that sells replacement parts and accessories to various equipment markets, including material handling, equipment rental, and construction and earthmoving dealerships.
