The disturbing findings, released for National Fork Lift Safety Week, highlight the dangers of the vehicles, used to carry heavy loads.

Announcing the figures today, Fork Lift Truck Association (FTLA) Chief Executive David Ellison, said: “Men need to learn from their female co-workers that fork lift trucks can be deadly, and should be always treated with great caution.

“Every single day, somebody is hospitalised or killed by a fork lift truck – and the vast majority of the victims are men.

"These accidents claim lives and shatter families, friends and workplaces. If men could take the same precautions as women, much of this unnecessary tragedy would be eliminated.

“We ask everyone who finds themselves in the vicinity of a fork lift truck to be alert and to avoid making any assumptions that the driver – who may well be concentrating on a complex manoeuvre – has seen or heard you.