Forklift Truck Training Course
To receive certification as a lift truck operator, you have to undergo training on an industrial-powered lift truck, or forklift. The training must be specific to the lift truck attachments and type that you would be using on the job. Training must also reflect the environment in which you will be working. Lift truck safety must be a main concern for both the operator trainee and the trainer.
General Qualifications
Anyone using a lift truck should undergo both training and certification prior to assuming operator duties. Basic qualifications for driving a lift truck include being at least 18 years old and the physical capacity to operate and control the unit safely.
Pedestrian Safety
The safety of pedestrians must be a main concern of any lift truck operator. Pedestrians near the lift truck are at risk of injury or death from getting hit by the equipment or its attachments. Pedestrians must always have the right of way, and lift truck drivers should honk their horns when working at intersections or crosswalks or near pedestrians.
Weather Conditions
Lift truck mishaps frequently occur on loading docks. These places become hazardous if rain leaks in through open dock doors causing an extremely slippery floor. Wet floor conditions can lead to a danger and drivers have to know potential hazards when working in loading dock areas.
Certification
Certification courses for forklift operators consist of both practical training and classroom instruction that could be tailored for the particular requirements of each work setting. Training should be completed on the kind of forklift and attachments that would be utilized by the trainee in the workplace.
Accidents
On average, there is roughly 100 deaths attributed to forklift mishaps, while more than 100,000 are injured by lift trucks. Most of these accidents could be prevented with correct operator training and attention to safety.