Lift trucks are very dangerous piece of machinery. Statistics by OSHA prove that approximately 100 warehouse workers are killed each and every year in lift truck mishaps while they are operating them. An additional 95,000 employees are hurt on the job every year too, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machinery.
Most fatalities have been due to forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the lift truck and another surface is the second highest percentage of fatalities. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the forklift itself and lastly, getting hit from falling objects because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every fatality or injury is quite terrible and gruesome because of the immense weight and capability of these equipment.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All teaching and assessment for forklift operation has to be taught by appropriately trained instructors. These trainers must have the knowledge and experience to teach potential operators the necessary skills to evaluate their competency after that. Several examples of a skilled trainer comprise an individual who has a certificate, professional status or specialized degree in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of experience and has demonstrated the ability to teach and evaluate drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources accessible to pick from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. For example, they could employ in local health and safety organizations, like truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are often local trade and vocational schools which would be happy to provide some great resources.
The internet is full of sites devoted to the safety of forklifts. There are also private businesses who provide lift truck safety training services, such as videos and written programs. The majority of safety videos can either be leased or rented or purchased. One important factor to take into account is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos on lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and knowledge of the new operators must be conveyed and assessed by a specific way so as to ensure the full training has been acquired.
Once operators have passed their training requirements, they will be given a forklift certificate which permits them to drive a forklift. Valid forklift certificates are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everybody at the workplace as safe as possible.