The lift truck is a dangerous machine. The newest data have shown that over 100 workers are killed in some type of lift truck accident. 95,000 more employees are hurt on the job on a yearly basis as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machinery.
Nearly all fatalities have been because of lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the lift truck and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The third highest cause of death is being struck by the lift truck itself and lastly, getting hit from falling things because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every death or injury is quite awful and frightening because of the ability and immense weight of these machines.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All training and assessment for forklift operation needs to be taught by properly trained instructors. These trainers must have the experience and knowledge to teach potential operators the required skills to assess their competence afterwards. Several examples of a qualified trainer include a person who has a license, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge with forklifts. A good candidate has plenty of experience and has demonstrated the capability to teach and evaluate drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources accessible to choose from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For instance, they can hire in local health and safety organizations, including truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools that will be glad to offer some great resources.
There are many web sites on the Internet who are committed to forklift safety. Private companies could be found on-line who offer lift truck safety training services, like videos and written programs. Nearly all safety videos can either be bought or rented or leased. One essential thing to consider 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. Subsequent training and knowledge of the new operators must be conveyed and evaluated by a specific method in order to make certain that the full training has been obtained.
When drivers have passed their training requirements, they will be given a lift truck license that enables them to operate a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace really safe.