Lift Truck Training
For handling materials, there are many types of industries which use powered industrial trucks. In the recycling business, internal combustion powered forklifts are popular. Lift truck operation requires operators who are well trained. In North America, training is a requirement, and for good reason. A forklift could cause serious damage to property or personal injury if not safely utilized. A forklift that is loaded could weight three times as much as an automobile. Lift trucks are accountable for a large percentage of industrial accidents, either as the secondary or the primary source of the accident. Reports of injuries or fatalities 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 types of vehicles being used within the workplace, the general principles of safe truck operation, the specific hazards of the workplace and the general safety requirements, based on OSHA. Training includes both formal and practical components. At the training's completion, operators must pass an assessment showing they have the ability to correctly operate a truck. OSHA also requires that operators of powered industrial trucks should be trained in certain specific topics which apply to safely operating a lift truck.