The lift truck is a dangerous machine. The most recent statistics have proven that more than 100 employees are killed in some kind of lift truck mishap. 95,000 more employees are injured on the job on an annual basis as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Sadly, most of the fatalities are due to forklift turnovers. The second highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The third highest cause of death is being struck by the lift truck itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Every fatality or injury is quite gruesome and awful because of the capability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All teaching and evaluation for forklift operation has to be trained by appropriately trained instructors. These trainers should have the knowledge and experience to train potential operators the necessary skills to evaluate their competence afterwards. Several examples of a qualified trainer include an individual who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional standing in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing forklifts. A good candidate has a lot of practice and has demonstrated the ability to teach and assess industrial truck drivers.
There are resources available to select from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. Like for example, they can hire in local health and safety organizations, like for instance the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are usually local trade and vocational schools that would be happy to provide several great resources.
There are a lot of web sites on the Internet which are devoted to lift truck safety. Private businesses could be found online that provide forklift safety training services, like videos and written programs. Nearly all safety videos can either be bought or rented or leased. One important thing to take into consideration is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos about lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and knowledge of the new drivers should be conveyed and assessed by a particular method so as to make sure that the full training has been obtained.
When operators have passed their training requirements, they would receive a forklift certificate that permits them to drive a forklift. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.