Lift Truck Training
Many industries use powered industrial trucks for material handling. In the recycling industry, internal combustion powered forklifts are popular. Lift truck operation requires well trained operators. Training is a requirement in North America, and for good reason. A forklift could cause personal injury or serious property damage if not used safely. A forklift which is loaded can weight three times as much as an automobile. Lift trucks are responsible for a huge percentage of industrial accidents, either as the secondary or the primary source of the accident. Reports of fatalities or injuries involving operators or pedestrians are all too commonplace.
Training Requirement
A training program for operators should be developed and applied by employers. Moreover, the program must be 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 practical and formal parts. At the completion of the training, operators have to pass an assessment showing they have the ability to properly operate a truck. OSHA also requires that powered industrial truck operators must be trained in certain specific subject matters which apply to safely operating a lift truck.