Forklifts are very dangerous piece of machinery. Statistics by OSHA show that approximately 100 warehouse workers are killed each and every year in lift truck accidents while they are using them. An extra 95,000 employees are hurt on the job every year too, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Nearly all fatalities have been due to forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The third highest cause of fatality is being struck by the lift truck itself and lastly, getting hit from falling items due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Each death or injury is quite awful and gruesome due to the capability and immense weight of these machines.
Who Must Conduct the Training?
All teaching 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 necessary skills to evaluate their competence afterwards. Several examples of a qualified trainer comprise an individual who has a certificate, professional standing or specialized degree in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, knowledge and experience using forklifts. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has shown the ability to evaluate and train industrial truck operators.
There are resources available to choose from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. For example, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, including truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools which would be happy to offer some great resources.
There are numerous websites on the World Wide Web which are committed to forklift safety. Private businesses can be found online that offer forklift safety training services, such as videos and written programs. The majority of safety videos could either be purchased or rented or leased. One essential factor to take into account is that simply by showing your workers a series of videos or a video about forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and knowledge of the new operators should be conveyed and evaluated by a specific method so as to make sure that the full training has been acquired.
Once the operator has successfully passed all of the necessary training, a lift truck license would be given and they will legally be able to drive a forklift. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everybody at the workplace really safe.