The lift truck is a dangerous machine. The most recent data have proven that over 100 workers are killed in some kind of lift truck accident. 95,000 more employees are hurt on the job on a yearly basis too, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machinery.
Sadly, most of the fatalities are because of lift truck turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The third highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and lastly, getting hit from falling items due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or death is quite frightening and awful because of the ability and immense weight of these machines.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All evaluation and training has to be trained by people who have the appropriate training, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck drivers the correct skills and then to evaluate their competence after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer comprise an individual who has a license, professional standing or certified degree in their possession, or someone who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using lift trucks. A good candidate has lots of practice and has demonstrated the ability to assess and teach industrial truck drivers.
There are resources available to select from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For example, they could hire 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 vocational and trade schools that would be happy to offer some great resources.
There are numerous sites on the World Wide Web that are committed to forklift safety. Private businesses can be found on-line who provide lift truck safety training services, like videos and written programs. Nearly all safety videos could either be rented or leased or purchased. One really important thing to take into account is that simply by showing your workers a series of videos or a video on lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and skill of the new drivers must be conveyed and evaluated by a specific method so as to make certain that the complete training has been obtained.
Once drivers have passed their training requirements, they will receive a forklift license that enables them to operate a lift truck. Valid lift truck certificates are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everybody at the workplace really safe.