Heavy Equipment Operator Training and Forklift Operator Training & Certification

Effective training is the cornerstone of any good safety program. Unfortunately, many organizations look at training as a formality, a box to be checked on the way to compliance. In today’s busy environments, it is not often that you have the undivided attention of the workers.  OSHA requires that all training on heavy equipment be performed by an experienced, qualified trainer.

In this program we’ll discuss forklifts, which are also called powered industrial trucks.  Whatever name used they require professionals to operate them. The past 20 years has seen a variety of training programs for forklift operators, ranging from “get on it and don’t have accidents”, to complete, comprehensive training and performance testing and evaluations. New governmental rules have made training mandatory and that training must be quite specific. Specific to the equipment you operate and specific to the conditions under which they are operated.

No two facilities are alike, therefore site-specific training is required.  This means anyone required to operate forklifts must be trained and evaluated by knowledgeable and experienced trainers and supervisors.    But exactly what does this mean? Anyone required to operate forklifts must be trained in a wide variety of topics, including Engineering Principles, Forklift Operating Rules, Equipment Characteristics, Environmental Hazards, Operator Maintenance, Hazardous Locations, Surface Operating Conditions, Site Specific Operations, potential hazards and other information.  Government standards require employers to make the training site specific for your workplace and the potential hazards that may exist in your company or area of operations.

Training should include three distinct methodologies.  First, there’s academic or classroom training.  This program covers the majority of the required classroom training, but your company amplifies this training by making your training site specific to your operations.  Next, operators must be provided “hands on” training to ensure operators fully understand controls, equipment performance, individual characteristics of each forklift equipment they will be operating and the potential hazards that may be encountered in your work area or organization.  The third method of training is evaluation.  Through the evaluation process, operators can learn from mistakes and improve their performance.  An evaluation means an experienced person, such as a trainer or supervisor who has the knowledge, training and experience to train and evaluate operators’ competency in forklift operations.  The evaluator observes individuals who operate forklifts to determine their safe operation of the vehicle, how the operator observes safety rules and how the operator knows, understands and handles the equipment.  The four primary topics or areas to be covered in the training program include:

1. The general hazards that apply to the operation of all or most powered industrial trucks.
2. The hazards associated with the operation of particular types of trucks.
3. The hazards of workplaces generally.
4. The hazards of the particular workplace where the forklift is operated.  Also called site specific training.

The purpose of this type of training is to make sure potential hazards in each specific location or workplace are identified and forklift operators are more aware of the specific potential hazards.  How that person’s competency is evaluated is up to the company. This can be through testing and examination, performance evaluation or other means of evaluating the level of previous training. All forklift operators must be evaluated at least every three years.  Employers need to keep documentation of when the employee was trained, an evaluation by a qualified person that the employee safely operated the forklift for the job they are required to do. OSHA requires forklift operators receive refresher training every three years.

Total Equipment Training realizes most workers have short attention spans, and lectures tend to be boring and unproductive.  Our trainers get their audience involved by asking questions and seeking feedback. Through the use of power point presentations and movie clips with updated real life situations our trainers engage the student to discuss topics concerning their workplace which results in a custom program for the specific site. All students should receive an evaluation at the end of each class. Written quizzes or tests to demonstrate understanding are good to keep on file to show the employee was successful in learning the training topic.

Forklift training ends with a practical training exercise set up in the workplace environment to teach and evaluate that the operator.  The exercise will ensure that the operator understands safety precautions and is able to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to operate the forklift in their work environment. Students will receive a practical evaluation through use of a check-off sheet indicating they have the skills and knowledge to successfully to their job.

An employer should  designate a competent person to continuously evaluate training needs and build upon a training program using feedback from their students and keeping up with changes in the work environment.

Remember that employers have the ultimate responsibility for certifying that their employees have been trained to work safely.