The forklift is a dangerous equipment. The most recent statistics have proven that more than 100 employees are killed in some form of forklift accident. 95,000 more employees are injured on the job each and every year as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial equipment.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the fatalities are due to 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 things because of a dropped load is the last statistic. Each and every injury or death is quite frightening and awful because of the capability and immense weight of these equipment.
Who Should Perform the Training?
All evaluation and training has to be taught by individuals who have the correct training, experience and knowledge to teach powered industrial truck drivers the correct skills and then to evaluate their competence after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer comprise an individual who has a certificate, professional status or specialized degree in their possession, or somebody who has extensive training, experience and knowledge utilizing lift trucks. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has shown the capability to assess and train industrial truck operators.
If the employer does not wish to perform the training himself, there are many resources accessible for them to pick from. For instance, they can hire in local health and safety organizations, including the National Safety Council local chapters, truck manufacturers, or private teaching consultants who specialize in powered industrial trucks. There are usually local trade and vocational schools that will be happy to provide several great resources.
The World Wide Web is full of websites devoted to the safety of forklifts. There are also private companies which offer forklift safety training services, such as videos and written programs. The majority of safety videos could either be rented or leased or bought. One very vital thing to consider is that simply by showing your workers a video or a series of videos on lift truck safety, does not meet the full requirements of the OSHA standard. Subsequent training and knowledge of the new drivers should be conveyed and evaluated by a specific method so as to make certain that the full training has been obtained.
Once the operator has successfully passed all of the necessary training, a forklift license would be issued and they would legally be able to operate a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations in order to keep everybody at the workplace really safe.