According to the forklift regulations, an employer is not required to repeat past training of a new operator. In order to address specific workplace hazards and specific workplace machinery, training has to be supplemented. For instance, an operator doesn't have to be trained to navigate a forklift on a ramp if that work place does not have a ramp; then again, if the operator is actually assigned to work somewhere which has a ramp, it is essential that additional training has to be provided.
Trainees are just allowed to use forklifts under direct supervision of just people who have the necessary training and knowledge to train and assess the trainees skill on the lift truck. The trainees can only learn in a setting where such operation does not put in danger other employees or the trainee themselves.
Making a practical assessment in the workplace is also vital. If a third party training provider is chosen, it is better to have the training occur at the jobsite, utilizing lift trucks at the workplace to be as precise as possible.
An operator is said to be qualified once they have successfully passed the training with records maintained by the employer. The certification has to contain the date of training, the operator name, and the name of the individual performing the assessment and training and lastly the date of assessment. Even though some state OSHA bodies require the issue of an operator's certificate, the Federal OSHA does not need it.
Every three years, refresher training is necessary. It could also become mandatory to those operators who have demonstrated some type of deficiency in safe lift truck use. For instance, refresher training will be triggered by some instances like for example: if there is an accident or a near miss, if a different type of lift truck is introduced to the workplace, if an operator received a poor 3 year evaluation and if a supervisor observes operating unsafely.
It needs to be noted that refresher training is not always the solution when unsafe operation is noticed. For instance, if an operator is deliberately disobeying workplace safety rules, it might be essential to implement disciplinary action. And last but not least, though training lift truck operators is a requirement, it is necessary to practice lift truck awareness training for other employees working in the vicinity of forklifts and pedestrians so as to make certain that everybody stays safe.