Lift Truck Training
For handling materials, there are numerous types of industries that make use of powered industrial trucks. In the recycling industry, internal combustion powered forklifts are popular. Lift truck operation requires operators who are well trained. Within North America, training is a requirement, and for good reason. A forklift can cause serious damage to property or personal injury if not used safely. A loaded forklift can weight three times as much as a car. Lift trucks are accountable for a large percentage of industrial accidents, either as the primary or the secondary source of the accident. Reports of injuries or fatalities involving both pedestrians or operators are all too commonplace.
Training Requirement
Employers must develop and implement a training program for operators based on four factors: the types of vehicles being used in the workplace, the general principles of safe truck operation, the general safety requirements, based on OSHA and the particular hazards of the workplace. Training combines both practical and formal components. At the training's completion, operators must pass an assessment showing they have the ability to correctly operate a truck. OSHA also requires that operators of powered industrial trucks must be trained in certain specified subject matters that apply to safely operating a lift truck.