Why is it important to train forklift operators?

What they say

A forklift license is actually a certificate. The certificate indicates that the employee has been trained and evaluated by the employer to operate the forklift safely. It is required by OSHA (a British standard for occupational safety and health management), that the employer certify the training. Employers use the issuance of licenses to show that the employee is certified to operate a forklift in their particular application.

The certification includes the name of the forklift operator, the date of training and evaluation, and the identity of the person conducting the forklift training and evaluation. OSHA standards require employers to certify that each operator has been trained and evaluated.

The training given to machinery operators has taken new directions, since with the growth of the industry it has been transformed into an accelerated growth rate, in most of the transnational companies they have chosen to hire professionals where through different exercises and tests make the driver have a certification that is worth his work.

This is a new practice that many smaller companies have been implementing, but if you are undecided as to whether it is necessary to train your forklift personnel, this post is for you.

But… Why should I train my staff?
Although the advantages of training operators are multiple, such as:

-Motivation, though for your employees it can be a challenge and a challenge to learn new things, many people feel more motivated by having a recognition or a certification that tells them that they are good at something, so on your part it will be a very good opportunity to detect misuse of the units.

-Safety is everything, training helps, as I already mentioned, to detect bad practices that are done or to find risk points within the facilities that were not foreseen and that are a latent threat to both your company and your staff. The accident rate can be very variable between company and company, but accidents in warehouse areas by forklifts occupy 33%, to the rest of other risks that can happen within the facilities. When a fatal accident occurs, the company is seriously affected, because the operation stops and generates a bad image if it comes to light that it was due to a fault that was correctable by the institution.

-That your employees do not know how to use the machines properly, they cause the equipment to deteriorate faster, so the company will have to spend more on repairs and for replacement of units, whether they are new or if you buy used , so it would bring to the economy of the company many negative effects.

-Considerably increases productivity, Learning new handling techniques as well as being able to make better use of the machines makes productivity rise, we make sure that things are done well and that the times in which they do these activities are improved.

In addition to the above, Forklift Certification helps ensure that forklift operators are trained and aware of the risks and hazards associated with operating a forklift in their environments.

Nowadays, everybody knows the market has become more complex to the point that technologies have reached many branches of the industry, having a staff that knows how to apply the new innovations that the company gives them and that helps to improve it is only achieved through learning.

This change of era has required both companies and workers, a continuous improvement, being able to train your staff helps to reduce waste in all your merchandise, to improve the work environment and that both managers and operators know how to manage better their times and improve processes.

We hope this information has helped you clarify your doubts, if you have any, contact us at E-forklifts we are specialists in everything related to forklifts.