Lift truck Truck Training Course
To receive certification as a forklift driver, you have to undergo training on an industrial-powered forklift, or lift truck. The training must be specific to the lift truck attachments and type that you would be utilizing on the job site. Training must also reflect the setting wherein you will be working. Forklift safety must be a main concern for both the trainer and the operator trainee.
General Qualifications
Before assuming any operator duties, all forklift drivers must undergo both certification and training. Basic qualifications for using a lift truck include being at least 18 years old and the physical capacity to safely control and operate the unit.
Pedestrian Safety
The main concern of any forklift driver should be the safety of pedestrians. Pedestrians near the lift truck are at risk of death or injury from getting hit by the machinery or its attachments. Pedestrians must always have the right of way, and forklift operators should honk their horns when working at crosswalks or intersections or near pedestrians.
Weather Conditions
Numerous accidents involving lift trucks happen at loading docks. These places become hazardous if rain leaks in through open dock doors causing an extremely slippery floor. Wet floor conditions create a danger and drivers should know possible dangers when working in loading dock areas.
Certification
Forklift certification courses consist of a combination of practical training and classroom instruction tailored to the particular needs of the workplace. Training must be completed on the forklift type and attachments that will be utilized by the trainee in the workplace.
Accidents
Every year about 100 people die in forklift mishaps. There are 100,000 forklift injuries reported every year. Most of these accidents are avoidable with correct operator training and attention to safety.