Forklifts are very dangerous piece of machinery. Data by OSHA prove that roughly 100 warehouse employees are killed every year in lift truck accidents while they are utilizing them. 95,000 more workers are injured on the job on a yearly basis as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
Most fatalities have been due to forklift turnovers. Being crushed between the forklift and another surface is the next highest percentage of fatalities. The next highest cause of death is being struck by the forklift itself and last of all, getting hit from falling objects because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Every fatality or injury is quite gruesome and awful because of the capability and immense weight of these equipment.
Who Should Conduct the Training?
All assessment and training has to be trained by people who have the appropriate training, knowledge and experience to teach powered industrial truck drivers the right skills and then to assess their competency afterwards. Some examples of a skilled trainer consist of an individual who has a certificate, specialized degree or professional standing 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 teach and assess drivers of industrial trucks.
If the employer does not wish to perform the training himself, there are numerous resources available for them to select from. For instance, they can employ in local health and safety organizations, like for example the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are normally local trade and vocational schools that will be very happy to provide several great resources.
The World Wide Web is full of websites dedicated to the safety of forklifts. There are also private companies which provide lift truck safety training services, like written programs and videos. Most safety videos can either be bought or rented or leased. One very important thing to think about is that simply by showing your workers a series of videos or a video on forklift safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Succeeding training and skill of the new operators needs to be conveyed and assessed by a specific way in order to make sure that the full training has been acquired.
Once the driver has successfully passed all of the necessary training, a lift truck license will be issued and they would legally be able to operate a lift truck. Valid lift truck licenses are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everyone at the workplace very safe.