Forklift Truck Training
In order to receive certification as a lift truck operator, you must undergo training on an industrial-powered forklift, or lift truck. The training program should be specific to the forklift type and attachments which you would be utilizing on the job. Training must also reflect the setting wherein you would be working. Lift truck safety should be a main concern for both the operator trainee and the trainer.
General Qualifications
Anybody utilizing a lift truck should undergo training and certification prior to assuming operator duties. Basic qualifications for driving a forklift include an age of at least eighteen years and the physical capacity to safely control and operate the unit.
Pedestrian Safety
The safety of pedestrians must be a main concern of any forklift operator. Pedestrians near the lift truck are at risk of death or injury from getting hit by the equipment or its additions. Pedestrians should always have the right of way, and lift truck operators should honk their horns when working at crosswalks or intersections or near pedestrians.
Weather Conditions
Numerous accidents involving lift trucks take place at loading docks. These areas become dangerous if rain leaks in through open dock doors resulting in an extremely slippery floor. Wet floor conditions create a hazard and drivers need to know potential dangers when working in loading dock areas.
Certification
Lift truck certification courses include a combination of practical training and classroom instruction tailored to the particular needs of the workplace. Training must be undertaken on the type of forklift and attachments that will be used by the trainee in the workplace.
Accidents
Each year roughly 100 people die in forklift mishaps. There are 100,000 forklift injuries reported each year. Nearly all of these accidents are avoidable with proper operator training and attention to safety.