The forklift is a dangerous machinery. The most recent statistics have shown that over 100 workers are killed in some form of forklift accident. An extra 95,000 workers are hurt on the job every year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machinery.
Most fatalities have been due to lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the second highest percentage of fatalities. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and last of all, getting hit from falling objects due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Every injury or death is quite frightening and terrible due to the capability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All evaluation and training needs to be taught by individuals who have the correct education, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck drivers the right skills and then to evaluate their competence after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer include an individual who has a license, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge with lift trucks. A good candidate has a lot of practice and has shown the capability to evaluate and teach drivers of industrial trucks.
If the employer does not wish to perform the training himself, there are many resources available for them to choose from. For instance, 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 often local trade and vocational schools which will be really glad to offer several great resources.
There are a lot of websites on the World Wide Web that are committed to forklift safety. Private companies can be found on line who offer forklift safety training services, like videos and written programs. Nearly all safety videos can either be bought or leased or rented. One important thing to take into consideration is that simply by showing your employees a video or a series of videos about lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and knowledge of the new drivers should be conveyed and evaluated by a particular method so as to make certain that the complete training has been obtained.
Once drivers have passed their training requirements, they will be given a lift truck certificate that allows them to drive a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everybody at the workplace as safe as possible.