Lift trucks are really dangerous piece of machinery. Statistics by OSHA prove that roughly 100 warehouse employees are killed each and every year in forklift mishaps while they are using them. 95,000 more workers are hurt on the job every year as well, using these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the fatalities are because of lift truck turnovers. The next highest percentage of fatalities is due to being crushed between a lift truck and another surface. The next highest cause of fatality is being struck by the forklift itself and last of all, getting hit from falling items because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every fatality or injury is quite frightening and terrible due to the immense weight and ability of these machines.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All assessment and teaching has to be trained by individuals who have the correct education, experience and knowledge to teach powered industrial truck drivers the correct skills and then to assess their competency after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer comprise an individual who has a certificate, certified degree or professional standing in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge with lift trucks. A good candidate has lots of practice and has shown the capability to assess and teach industrial truck drivers.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are numerous resources accessible for them to choose from. Like for example, they could hire in local health and safety organizations, including truck manufacturers, the National Safety Council local chapters, or private training consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are usually local trade and vocational schools which would be happy to provide several great resources.
There are a lot of websites on the Internet who are dedicated to forklift safety. Private businesses could be found online that provide forklift safety training services, such as written programs and videos. Most safety videos can either be purchased or rented or leased. One vital factor to take into consideration is that simply by showing your employees a series of videos or a video about forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and skill of the new operators must be conveyed and assessed by a specific method in order to ensure the complete training has been obtained.
Once the operator has successfully passed all of the required training, a forklift license will be given and they will legally be able to operate a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everyone at the workplace as safe as possible.