The forklift is a dangerous equipment. The most recent statistics have proven that more than 100 workers are killed in some type of lift truck mishap. 95,000 more workers are injured on the job each and every year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Sadly, most of the fatalities are due to forklift turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a lift truck and another surface. The next highest cause of death is being struck by the lift truck itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling objects due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Every fatality or injury is quite terrible and gruesome due to the capability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All evaluation and training has to be taught by people who have the appropriate education, experience and knowledge to train powered industrial truck drivers the correct skills and then to evaluate their competency after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer comprise an individual who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge with forklifts. A good candidate has lots of practice and has shown the capability to teach and assess operators of industrial trucks.
There are resources accessible to choose from if their employer does not wish to perform the training themselves. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, like the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are often local vocational and trade schools which would be really glad to offer several great resources.
The internet is full of web sites dedicated to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private companies that provide forklift safety training services, such as videos and written programs. Most safety videos could either be leased or rented or purchased. One essential thing to take into consideration is that simply by showing your employees a video or a series of videos on lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and skill of the new operators needs to be conveyed and assessed by a specific method so as to ensure the full training has been obtained.
Once operators have passed their training requirements, they would be given a lift truck certificate which enables them to drive a lift truck. Valid forklift certificates are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.