What's the Risk?

Forklift or Powered Industrial Truck safety training is a big issue and it should be; the monetary damages and loss of life that can result from accidents with forklifts are staggering. Two recent payouts for forklift accidents included $750,000 to a worker who injured his back and another payout for $2.5 million to a victim whose foot was amputated. 

Our safety training program consists of 30 topics and is taught by professional trainers with over 18 years of experience in all facets of the forklift business. Our classroom portion takes approximately 4 hours including video, classroom discussion and a written test. Everyone must pass this test to continue to the hands on evaluation portion.  

Our hands on evaluations are done until your operator can demonstrate understanding and driving competencies or if they can’t, they will not get a certificate.  

Programs such as this can help you improve your bottom line by reducing accidents, work disruptions and product or facilities damage. According to industry studies, effective operator training can improve worker safety performance by up to 70 percent or more. 

"A lot of people think that if they just go to some generic course and they're trained on the forklift, they're good to go," says Patrick Kapust, safety and health specialist for occupational and safety health specialists at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

"But as part of the standard, there are not only truck-related topics, there are also workplace related topics, where you need to go over the types of conditions at the specific place where the truck is going to be operated," says Kapust. "There could be blind corners, there could be ramps, and there could be traffic considerations and so forth." 

According to OSHA Regulation 1910.178 "The employer shall ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation…" The regulation goes on to say that the training shall consist not only of formal instruction and practical training, but also "evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace." This means, if you’re working with a training company and you send your employees to their facility to get certified, you haven’t met the OSHA standard. 

An important part of the training is to go over whatever specific issues may be at your work site. 

Workplace conditions that operators should be trained for must include: 

·         Surface conditions where the vehicle will be operated;  

·         Composition of loads to be carried and load stability;  

·         Pedestrian traffic in areas where the vehicle will be operated;  

·         Narrow aisles and other restricted places where the vehicle will be operated;  

·         Hazardous (classified) locations where the vehicle will be operated;  

·         Ramps and other sloped surfaces that could affect the vehicle's stability;  

·         Closed environments and other areas where insufficient ventilation or poor vehicle maintenance could cause a buildup of carbon monoxide or diesel exhaust; and  

·         Other unique or potentially hazardous environmental conditions in the workplace that could affect safe operation. 

A lot of people think that they can just order a CD and put someone in front of a computer and then that person is certified. You better think again. The OSHA standard clearly states that in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii): "Training shall consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace."

To Schedule a Forklift training Class in Miami call 305-302-6256

Pulse America services the following communities in the Miami Dade County Florida area:

Miami, Hialeah, Kendall, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, Opa Locka, North Miami and Homestead, Dania, Doral, Hallandale, Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Lauderhill, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, Miramar, Coral Springs, Margate, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray, Wellington, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce.