The forklift is a dangerous machine. The most recent data have proven that over 100 workers are killed in some kind of forklift mishap. An extra 95,000 employees are injured on the job on a yearly basis too, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Most fatalities have been because of forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the lift truck and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the forklift itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Every injury or fatality is quite gruesome and terrible due to the ability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All training and assessment for forklift operation has to be taught by properly trained instructors. These trainers must have the experience and knowledge to train potential operators the necessary skills to evaluate their competency after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer include an individual who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional standing in their possession, or who has extensive training, knowledge and experience using lift trucks. A good candidate has plenty of practice and has demonstrated the capability to train and assess industrial truck operators.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are numerous resources available for them to choose from. Like for example, they could hire 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 normally local vocational and trade schools that will be really happy to provide some great resources.
There are numerous websites on the World Wide Web that are dedicated to forklift safety. Private companies can be found online which provide forklift safety training services, such as written programs and videos. Nearly all safety videos could either be bought or rented or leased. One really important thing to take into account is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos about lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and skill of the new drivers should be conveyed and assessed by a specific method so as to make certain that the full training has been acquired.
Once drivers have passed their training requirements, they would be given a lift truck license which permits them to operate a lift truck. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.