Lift trucks are really dangerous piece of machinery. Statistics by OSHA prove that about 100 warehouse employees are killed every year in forklift accidents while they are using them. An extra 95,000 workers are injured on the job on a yearly basis as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Nearly all fatalities have been because of lift truck turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The third highest cause of death is being struck by the forklift itself and last but not least, getting hit from falling things due to a dropped load is the last statistic. Every injury or fatality is quite terrible and frightening due to the immense weight and ability of these machines.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All evaluation and training 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 after that. Several examples of a qualified trainer consist of a person who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional status in their possession, or who has extensive training, knowledge and experience with forklifts. A good candidate has a lot of practice and has shown the capability to assess and train industrial truck drivers.
There are resources available to pick from if their employer does not want to perform the training themselves. Like for instance, they could employ in local health and safety organizations, including the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools which would be happy to provide several great resources.
The World Wide Web is full of sites dedicated to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses that provide lift truck safety training services, like videos and written programs. Nearly all safety videos can either be purchased or rented or leased. One important thing to take into account 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 in order to make certain that the full training has been acquired.
When the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a lift truck certificate will be issued and they would legally be able to drive a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations so as to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.