The lift truck is a dangerous equipment. The newest data have proven that more than 100 workers are killed in some form of forklift accident. An extra 95,000 employees are hurt on the job each year as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the fatalities are because of forklift turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The next highest cause of death is being struck by the forklift itself and last of all, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every death or injury is quite terrible and gruesome because of the capability and immense weight of these machines.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All assessment and training needs to be trained by people who have the appropriate training, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck operators the right skills and then to assess their competency after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer consist of a person who has a license, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, knowledge and experience using lift trucks. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has shown the capability to evaluate and train drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources available to choose from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, like for instance the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are usually local trade and vocational schools which will be very happy to provide some great resources.
There are many sites on the World Wide Web that are devoted to lift truck safety. Private businesses can be found online that offer lift truck safety training services, such as written programs and videos. Most safety videos could either be rented or leased or bought. One very important factor to consider is that simply by showing your employees 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 should be conveyed and assessed by a specific way in order to make sure that the complete training has been acquired.
When the driver has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck license will be given and they would legally be able to drive a forklift. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.