The lift truck is a dangerous equipment. The latest data have proven that over 100 workers are killed in some form of lift truck accident. An additional 95,000 employees are hurt on the job on an annual basis as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Sadly, nearly all of the fatalities are because of forklift turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a lift truck and another surface. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling objects due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or death is quite terrible and frightening due to the capability and immense weight of these machines.
Who Must Perform the Training?
All evaluation and teaching has to be taught by individuals who have the proper education, experience and knowledge to teach powered industrial truck operators the right skills and then to assess their competence afterwards. Some examples of a skilled trainer comprise a person who has a certificate, professional status or specialized degree in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, knowledge and experience with forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of practice and has demonstrated the capability to teach and evaluate operators of industrial trucks.
If the employer does not wish to perform the training himself, there are numerous resources available for them to pick from. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, like for instance 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 provide several great resources.
The internet is full of sites committed to the safety of forklifts. There are also private businesses which provide forklift safety training services, such as written programs and videos. Most safety videos could either be leased or rented or bought. One important thing to take into account is that simply by showing your workers a series of videos or a video on forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and knowledge of the new operators should be conveyed and evaluated by a specific way so as to make sure that the full training has been obtained.
Once the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck license would be given and they will legally be able to operate a lift truck. Valid lift truck certificates are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace really safe.