Forklifts are really dangerous machines. Statistics by OSHA show that about 100 warehouse employees are killed every year in forklift mishaps while they are using them. 95,000 more workers are injured on the job each and every year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Most fatalities have been because of forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the lift truck and another surface is the second 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 death is quite gruesome and terrible because of the immense weight and capability of these machines.
Who Must Conduct the Training?
All teaching and evaluation for forklift operation needs to be trained by correctly trained instructors. These trainers should have the knowledge and experience to train potential operators the necessary skills to evaluate their competence after that. Some examples of a qualified trainer consist of a person who has a license, professional standing or specialized degree in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing forklifts. A good candidate has lots of experience and has demonstrated the ability to teach and assess industrial truck drivers.
There are resources available to select from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For example, they could hire in local health and safety organizations, including the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local vocational and trade schools that will be really happy to provide several great resources.
The internet is full of web sites committed to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses which provide lift truck safety training services, such as videos and written programs. The majority of safety videos can either be rented or leased or bought. One important thing to think about is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos about forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and knowledge of the new operators needs to be conveyed and assessed by a particular way so as to make certain that the complete training has been acquired.
Once operators have passed their training requirements, they will receive a lift truck certificate that enables them to drive a lift truck. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.