The lift truck is a dangerous machine. The most recent data have shown that more than 100 employees are killed in some kind of forklift accident. 95,000 more workers are injured on the job each year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Most fatalities have been due to lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The third highest cause of death is being struck by the forklift itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling things because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every injury or death is quite terrible and gruesome because of the capability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All assessment and training needs to be trained by people who have the correct education, knowledge and experience to teach powered industrial truck drivers the right skills and then to assess their competence afterwards. Several examples of a skilled trainer comprise a person who has a certificate, professional standing or certified degree in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using forklifts. A good candidate has lots of practice and has shown the ability to evaluate and teach drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources accessible to select from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For instance, they could 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 normally local vocational and trade schools which would be happy to offer several great resources.
There are numerous web sites on the Internet which are committed to forklift safety. Private companies can be found on line that offer lift truck safety training services, like written programs and videos. Most safety videos could either be purchased or leased or rented. One very vital thing to think about is that simply by showing your employees a series of videos or a video on lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and knowledge of the new operators should be conveyed and evaluated by a particular method so as to make certain that the full training has been obtained.
Once operators have passed their training requirements, they will receive a lift truck certificate that enables them to drive a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everybody at the workplace as safe as possible.