The lift truck is a dangerous machinery. The latest data have shown that over 100 employees are killed in some kind of forklift mishap. An additional 95,000 workers are hurt on the job on a yearly basis as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the fatalities are due to lift truck turnovers. The second highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last of all, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or death is quite awful and gruesome due to the immense weight and ability of these machinery.
Who Must Perform the Training?
All assessment and training has to be taught by people who have the correct education, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck operators the correct skills and then to assess their competency afterwards. Some examples of a skilled trainer consist of a person who has a certificate, certified degree or professional status in their possession, or someone who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using forklifts. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has shown the capability to evaluate and train drivers of industrial trucks.
There are resources available to pick from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. Like for instance, they could employ 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 often local trade and vocational schools which would be happy to provide some great resources.
There are numerous web sites on the Internet that are committed to lift truck safety. Private companies can be found online who provide lift truck safety training services, such as written programs and videos. Most safety videos can either be rented or leased or bought. One very essential thing to take into consideration is that simply by showing your employees a series of videos or a video about forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and skill of the new drivers must be conveyed and assessed by a specific method so as to make sure that the complete training has been acquired.
When the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck certificate will be issued and they will legally be able to drive a forklift. Valid lift truck certificates are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.