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