Lift Truck Training
Many industries utilize powered industrial trucks for material handling. In the recycling business, internal combustion powered forklifts are popular. Lift truck operation requires well trained operators. Training is a requirement within North America, and for a really good reason. A forklift can cause serious damage to property or personal injury if not safely utilized. A loaded forklift could weight three times as much as a motor vehicle. Lift trucks are accountable for a huge percentage of industrial accidents, either as the secondary or the primary source of the accident. Reports of injuries or fatalities that involve operators or pedestrians are all too commonplace.
Training Requirement
Employers should develop and implement a training program for operators based on four factors: the kinds of vehicles being used in the workplace, the general principles of safe truck operation, the specific hazards of the workplace and the general safety requirements, based on OSHA. Training includes both formal and practical parts. At the training's completion, operators must pass an assessment showing they have the ability to operate the truck properly. OSHA also requires that powered industrial truck operators should be trained in certain specific subject matters which apply to safe lift truck operation.