We often speak with clients about training requirements, but they don’t always focus on what is most important part. Forklifts, also called powered industrial trucks, help us perform essential tasks, but they are also quite dangerous. Driving a forklift is a serious responsibility and should not be taken lightly.
Are employees truly understanding the material? More often than not the answer is no. If you are an employer looking to evaluate your program here are a few questions you can ask yourselves:
Questions to Consider
- How effective is the delivery of training?
- Relying too much on classroom training with little to no hands-on training can affect your employee’s ability to retain the information.
- What is the frequency of your forklift training?
- OSHA states that you must train your employees before operating the equipment and refresher training can be required in various situations. However, more frequent refresher training can be affective for employees and can meet OSHA requirements.
- Are supervisors trained in identifying and correcting hazards?
- Supervisors need to be trained to identify specific hazards with forklifts and know methods for correcting those hazards.
- Do you have the resources and qualified individuals to manage in-house training?
- Effective in-house training requires a high understanding of the equipment procedures, OSHA requirements, and hazard identification/correction. Even the best designed training programs can become ineffective if internal resources don’t have the right up-to-date information and expertise.
UNICO has resources that can assist with the evaluation and implementation of your forklift training program.
