Lift trucks are really dangerous machines. Statistics by OSHA show that around 100 warehouse employees are killed each year in forklift mishaps while they are using them. 95,000 more employees are hurt on the job on an annual basis too, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Unfortunately, most of the fatalities are due to forklift turnovers. The second highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The third highest cause of death is being struck by the lift truck itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each injury or fatality is quite awful and frightening because of the immense weight and ability of these equipment.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All training and assessment for lift truck operation has to be taught by properly trained instructors. These trainers should have the knowledge and experience to teach potential operators the required skills to evaluate their competence after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer consist of an individual who has a license, specialized degree or professional standing in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing forklifts. A good candidate has lots of experience and has shown the capability to assess and train industrial truck operators.
There are resources accessible to pick from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. For example, they can 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 vocational and trade schools which would be glad to offer several great resources.
There are lots of websites on the Internet who are devoted to forklift safety. Private businesses could be found on-line who provide forklift safety training services, like videos and written programs. Most safety videos can either be leased or rented or bought. One essential factor to take into account is that simply by showing your employees a series of videos or a video on forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and skill of the new operators needs to be conveyed and evaluated by a particular method in order to make sure that the full training has been obtained.
When the driver has successfully passed all of the necessary training, a forklift license will be given and they will legally be able to operate a forklift. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everybody at the workplace as safe as possible.