The forklift is a dangerous machinery. The most recent statistics have proven that more than 100 employees are killed in some form of lift truck accident. An additional 95,000 employees are hurt on the job every year too, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Nearly all fatalities have been because of lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the second highest percentage of fatalities. The next 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 death or injury is quite gruesome and awful because of the immense weight and ability of these machinery.
Who Must Conduct the Training?
All training and assessment for lift truck operation has to be trained by properly trained instructors. These trainers must have the knowledge and experience to train potential operators the required skills to evaluate their competency after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer comprise a person who has a certificate, certified degree or professional status in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge with forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of practice and has shown the ability to assess and teach industrial truck drivers.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are many resources accessible for them to select from. For example, they could employ in local health and safety organizations, like 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 that will be glad to provide several great resources.
The internet is full of sites devoted to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses that provide lift truck safety training services, like videos and written programs. The majority of safety videos can either be leased or rented or purchased. One very essential factor 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. Succeeding training and skill of the new drivers needs to be conveyed and assessed by a specific way in order to ensure the complete training has been obtained.
Once drivers have passed their training requirements, they will be given a lift truck license that permits them to drive a forklift. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.