Forklifts are extremely dangerous piece of machinery. Data by OSHA show that roughly 100 warehouse workers are killed each year in lift truck accidents while they are operating them. 95,000 more workers are hurt on the job every year as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Unfortunately, most of the fatalities are due to lift truck 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 forklift itself and last of all, getting hit from falling items because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or death is quite awful and frightening due to the ability and immense weight of these equipment.
Who Must Conduct the Training?
All assessment and teaching has to be taught by individuals who have the right training, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck operators the right skills and then to assess their competency after that. Some examples of a qualified trainer include an individual who has a license, professional standing or specialized degree in their possession, or someone who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of experience and has shown the capability to evaluate and teach drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources available to select from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, including truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools that would be happy to offer several great resources.
The internet is full of web sites dedicated to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private companies who offer lift truck safety training services, such as videos and written programs. Most safety videos can either be rented or leased or purchased. One really vital thing to take into consideration is that simply by showing your workers a series of videos or a video about lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and knowledge of the new drivers needs to be conveyed and evaluated by a specific way in order to ensure the complete training has been obtained.
When drivers have passed their training requirements, they would receive a forklift license that enables them to operate a forklift. Valid lift truck certificates are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.