Lift Truck Training
Lots of industries utilize powered industrial trucks for material handling. In the recycling industry, internal combustion powered forklifts are popular. Lift truck operation need well trained operators. Within North America, training is a requirement, and for 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 an automobile. Lift trucks are responsible for many industrial accidents, either as the secondary or the primary source of the accident. Reports of fatalities or injuries involving pedestrians or operators are all too commonplace.
Training Requirement
Employers should develop and implement a training program for operators based on four factors: the general principles of safe truck operation, the kinds of vehicles being utilized in the workplace, the general safety requirements, based on OSHA and the particular hazards of the workplace. Training combines both formal and practical components. At the completion of the training, operators should pass an assessment showing they have the ability to operate the truck correctly. OSHA also requires that operators of powered industrial trucks must be trained in certain specified topics which apply to safe lift truck operation.