1. Do all forklift operators, experienced or not, need to be trained? Why?

Each and every operator must be trained. This means that full-time, part-time, seasonal, substitute drivers, owners and occasional operators...regardless of experience, must be trained. In other words, you cannot legally allow any of your operators, even experienced operators, to operate powered industrial trucks, such as forklifts, order pickers, etc., until they have successfully passed the required training and evaluation by a qualified instructor. OSHA feels that experienced operators who have learned through trial-and-error and have not had the benefit of safety training likely do not employ consistent safe driving habits and therefore must be trained. Before these regulations, operator training overall was spotty, inconsistent or non-existent. Often the extent of forklift or other powered industrial truck training consisted only of a quick briefing on the controls, showing a video or simply throwing the new operator the keys and telling him to drive around and practice a  little while until he felt comfortable.

2. Can I comply with the OSHA and CAL-OSHA requirements by doing in-house training?

The answer to this question is "Yes, but.....". OSHA states "An experienced operator without training in how to teach, and without the theoretical knowledge of safety hazards, and how to apply it....is not adequate."  Although OSHA does not apply the title "instructor", it is clear in the preamble of the final rulings that "the person trained to train" must be a qualified instructor. To clarify, this Rule requires that the person teaching be trained as an instructor. SafetyFirst can train your experienced operators as instructors. SafetyFirst can also provide you with information about other areas of compliance, such as ongoing training requirements, record keeping, operating rule posting, etc. 

3. How much does this training cost? Is it expensive?

Certainly not expensive in comparison with the risk involved in going without it. Instead of having your employees travel to a training facility, our instructors come to you.  It saves travel time and time away from the job. Quality Certification industrial truck operator and instructor training is based on years of experience, and is custom tailored to your particular equipment and work situation. The training was designed to be as non-disruptive to your production schedule as possible. Call us and we’ll work out scheduling and price.

4. What about First Aid/CPR courses, are they required? OSHA requires that employers provide a Workplace First Aid Program that includes health and safety training for their employees.