A forklift is a powerful and useful piece of heavy machinery that allows for easy movement and storage of products. It is a tool that is used each and every day across different industries. Although it helps make the movement of freight easier and more efficient, forklifts can quickly go from useful tool to dangerous moving item very quickly. Every year, thousands of people are injured, or even are killed on the job due to bad forklift safety. Most of these injuries can be prevented, and the easiest method of prevention is training. Employers do themselves and their employees a favor when they ensure that they have the most up-to-date resources available to them, which play a significant role in reducing workplace accidents.
Here are some free forklift training courses to consider when educating your employees about forklift safety.
Who should take Forklift Training?
According to the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(l) safety regulation, any employee driving a powered industrial truck or forklift is required to take proper forklift safety training and get their forklift license to ensure safe operations. Lack of training puts both the operator and other workers in danger and the violation of basic operation protocols can result in fines of up to $250,000. If you’re a warehouse supervisor or employee, construction worker, dock worker, or anyone in charge of operating forklifts, it’s crucial that you take proper forklift training courses and acquire your license before trying to handle these transport machines.
Choosing an online Forklift Training Course
Choosing an online forklift training course depends highly on your level of experience. If you’re a highly experienced forklift operator, you still need refresher training on basic forklift safety, maintenance, and inspection requirements. On the other hand, if you’re a novice operator with little to no experience, you are required to take both theoretical and practical lessons on forklift operations to ensure that you understand the basics of pre-operational inspections, safe operation, load handling, and machine maintenance.
Another factor to consider when choosing a forklift training course is the type of job you’ll be handling, as these will require different types of forklifts. For example, if you’ll be working on a construction site to help transport and lift building materials, you’ll need to take specific training for rough terrain forklift trucks. Meanwhile, if you’re going to be working inside a warehouse or storage facility, you might need to learn how to use industrial reach forklift trucks.
How often should you do Forklift Training?
In order to comply with OSHA standards, regular forklift operators are required to take forklift training every 3 to 5 years as a refresher. For occasional handlers, training is needed before every forklift truck operation. Exceptions are also made if there are changes in the industry regulations and work environment. Refresher courses are also not applicable to those who will be converting to a different type of forklift. With conversion training, workers will need to start from scratch to learn a new forklift’s safety protocols as well as the basic operation, inspection, and maintenance procedures. In addition to these instances, a forklift operator may also be required to get additional forklift training after an accident or protocol violation.


