Forklifts are really dangerous piece of machinery. Data by OSHA show that about 100 warehouse employees are killed each and every year in lift truck mishaps while they are using them. 95,000 more workers are injured on the job on an annual basis too, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the fatalities are due to forklift turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a forklift and another surface. The third highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last of all, getting hit from falling objects because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Each injury or death is quite frightening and terrible because of the capability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All evaluation and teaching needs to be taught by individuals who have the appropriate education, knowledge and experience to teach powered industrial truck operators the right skills and then to assess their competence afterwards. Several examples of a qualified trainer include an individual who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing forklifts. A good candidate has lots of experience and has shown the capability to evaluate and train industrial truck drivers.
There are resources accessible to select from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. For example, they can hire in local health and safety organizations, including the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools that would be happy to offer some great resources.
The World Wide Web is full of sites committed to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses which offer forklift safety training services, like written programs and videos. Nearly all safety videos could either be purchased or rented or leased. One really important factor to think about 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 needs to be conveyed and evaluated by a particular way so as to ensure the complete training has been acquired.
Once operators have passed their training requirements, they would receive a lift truck certificate which permits them to operate a lift truck. Valid lift truck certificates are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.