Believe it or not, several companies actually allow their workers on the floor to drive a lift truck even if they have not been given sufficient training. By allowing people who are not qualified the opportunity to operate potentially dangerous and such a huge machine, extremely negative results could happen to both the staff and the company.
Like for instance, a serious mishap is more likely to occur if an untrained driver is behind the wheel. The driver might accidentally run into a worker who passes by the vehicle. This case could happen because of inaccurate and quick maneuvers. He or she can figure that driving a lift truck is similar to driving any other type of vehicle, and this is definitely not the case.
There have been way too many lift truck mishaps that companies have reported. When operating this type of machinery, mishaps can occur for various reasons. Like for instance, several lift trucks are not outfitted with reverse sensors and even if they are equipped with them, these sensors do not actually cover a wide rear end area. Thus, the driver is more likely to have some issues when they are just learning how to drive backwards.
Especially while in the learning curve, the forklift driver needs to drive the equipment slowly and only after ensuring there is no other workers or objects behind it, put the equipment into reverse. An inexperienced operator or someone with incomplete training can use the machinery to pick up supplies in a wrong way or that are too heavy for the equipment. Raising the wrong items could cause the merchandise to suddenly fall off of the machine. This can severely damage the merchandise or the warehouse itself or it can possibly harm the employees if they happen to be close by.
Before permitting a worker to operate a lift truck, businesses must insist and mandate that the training and certification in order to keep both the company and its workers safe. By following these strict rules, the company can help to prevent serious accidents.