The lift truck is a dangerous machine. The most recent data have proven that more than 100 employees are killed in some type of lift truck accident. An extra 95,000 employees are hurt on the job every year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Unfortunately, most of the fatalities are because of forklift turnovers. The second highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a lift truck and another surface. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and lastly, getting hit from falling items because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every death or injury is quite frightening and terrible because of the immense weight and ability of these machines.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All teaching and evaluation for lift truck operation needs to be trained by correctly trained instructors. These trainers should have the knowledge and experience to train potential operators the necessary skills to evaluate their competency afterwards. Some examples of a qualified trainer include a person who has a certificate, professional standing or certified degree in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, knowledge and experience using forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of experience and has demonstrated the capability to teach and evaluate industrial truck operators.
If the employer does not wish to perform the training himself, there are many resources accessible for them to select from. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, including the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are often local vocational and trade schools which will be really happy to provide several great resources.
The internet is full of web sites committed to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses which offer lift truck safety training services, like written programs and videos. The majority of safety videos could either be bought or rented or leased. One very essential thing to consider 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. Subsequent training and skill of the new operators must be conveyed and assessed by a particular way in order to ensure the full training has been acquired.
When the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck license will be given and they would legally be able to drive a lift truck. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everybody at the workplace very safe.