The lift truck is a dangerous machinery. The latest data have shown that more than 100 employees are killed in some form of forklift mishap. An additional 95,000 employees are hurt on the job on an annual basis as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machinery.
Nearly all fatalities have been due to lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last of all, getting hit from falling things because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every injury or fatality is quite terrible and frightening because of the immense weight and capability of these machines.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All teaching and assessment for forklift operation needs to be trained by correctly trained instructors. These trainers must have the knowledge and experience to train potential operators the necessary skills to assess their competence afterwards. Several examples of a skilled trainer consist of an individual who has a certificate, professional standing or specialized degree in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using lift trucks. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has demonstrated the capability to assess and train drivers of industrial trucks.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are numerous resources available for them to select from. Like for instance, they could employ in local health and safety organizations, including 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 which will be happy to provide several great resources.
There are a lot of sites on the Internet that are devoted to forklift safety. Private companies can be found on-line who provide lift truck safety training services, such as written programs and videos. The majority of safety videos can either be purchased or leased or rented. One vital thing to take into account is that simply by showing your employees 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 operators must be conveyed and evaluated by a specific way in order to ensure the complete training has been acquired.
Once the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck license would be issued and they would legally be able to operate a forklift. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.