The lift truck is a dangerous equipment. The most recent statistics have proven that over 100 employees are killed in some kind of forklift mishap. 95,000 more employees are injured on the job on an annual basis too, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Nearly all fatalities have been because of forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the second highest percentage of fatalities. The third highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling items due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or fatality is quite gruesome and awful because of the ability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All evaluation and training has to be taught by individuals who have the proper training, knowledge and experience to teach powered industrial truck operators the right skills and then to evaluate their competency after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer consist of a person who has a license, certified degree or professional standing in their possession, or who has extensive training, knowledge and experience using lift trucks. A good candidate has plenty of experience and has demonstrated the ability to assess and teach industrial truck drivers.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are many resources available for them to choose from. For example, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, like truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, 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.
The World Wide Web is full of web sites devoted to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses who provide forklift safety training services, such as written programs and videos. The majority of safety videos can either be purchased or rented or leased. One really essential thing to consider is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos about lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and skill of the new drivers needs to be conveyed and assessed by a particular way so as to make sure that the full training has been acquired.
Once the driver has successfully passed all of the necessary training, a lift truck license will be given and they would legally be able to operate a forklift. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.