Lift trucks are really dangerous piece of machinery. Statistics by OSHA show that approximately 100 warehouse workers are killed every year in forklift accidents while they are operating them. 95,000 more employees are hurt on the job every year as well, utilizing these heavy pieces of industrial machines.
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 forklift and another surface. The third highest cause of death 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 death or injury is quite awful and gruesome due to the ability and immense weight of these machinery.
Who Must Conduct the Training?
All teaching and assessment for lift truck operation needs to be taught by appropriately trained instructors. These trainers should have the experience and knowledge to teach potential operators the necessary skills to assess their competence after that. Some examples of a skilled trainer comprise a person who has a certificate, professional standing or certified degree in their possession, or who has extensive training, experience and knowledge using forklifts. A good candidate has a lot of experience and has demonstrated the capability to assess and teach industrial truck drivers.
If the employer does not want to perform the training himself, there are many resources accessible for them to pick from. For example, they can hire in local health and safety organizations, like for instance 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 really happy to provide some great resources.
The World Wide Web is full of sites devoted to the safety of lift trucks. There are also private businesses who provide forklift safety training services, like written programs and videos. Nearly all safety videos could either be purchased or rented or leased. One really essential factor to consider 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. Subsequent training and skill of the new drivers must be conveyed and assessed by a specific method in order to ensure the full training has been obtained.
When operators have passed their training requirements, they would receive a lift truck license which allows them to operate a lift truck. Valid forklift licenses are a requirement by organizations to be able to keep everybody at the workplace as safe as possible.