OSHA Forklift Training Requirements - Qualification of the "trainer"

L

LexieB

#1
Hello all,

I have been reviewing OSHAS requirements regarding forklift training.

It is very clear that all operators must be certified in accordance with the requirements listed and must include classroom type instruction and physical instruction, then evaluation. Got it.

The part that is unclear to me is the criteria of the "trainer". The third party companies charge an arm and a leg (they all do), and we want many people at our facility to be able to use the forklift.

Is it feasible to have an employee who has been certified multiple times and has had many years experience conduct the training in house? I would like us to have our own internal training program. Has anyone else had experience with this?

Your insights would be very helpful.

Thanks!!!
 
Elsmar Forum Sponsor

Randy

Super Moderator
#2
The employer is ultimately responsible for the "certification" of the trainer. Just because they are a 3rd party who claims certification the regulatory liability of the employer is not diminished.

As you have asked "Is it feasible to have an employee who has been certified multiple times and has had many years experience conduct the training in house? I would like us to have our own internal training program."

The simple answer is YES and YES I have experience. I have a BS in Occupational Safety & Health, I have about 20 years experience in US OSHA and numerous individual state safety requirements, I've set up training programs for Industrial Truck (Forklift if you wish) operator training and I have personally conducted forklift operator training.

There are readily available training programs that you can purchase to help...JJ Keller comes to mind. Low cost and meets the basic OSHA requirements for content.
 
L

LexieB

#3
The employer is ultimately responsible for the "certification" of the trainer. Just because they are a 3rd party who claims certification the regulatory liability of the employer is not diminished.

As you have asked "Is it feasible to have an employee who has been certified multiple times and has had many years experience conduct the training in house? I would like us to have our own internal training program."

The simple answer is YES and YES I have experience. I have a BS in Occupational Safety & Health, I have about 20 years experience in US OSHA and numerous individual state safety requirements, I've set up training programs for Industrial Truck (Forklift if you wish) operator training and I have personally conducted forklift operator training.

There are readily available training programs that you can purchase to help...JJ Keller comes to mind. Low cost and meets the basic OSHA requirements for content.
That's what I thought, but several forklift companies were trying to convince me that I will definitely miss something with this approach. Of course, I know they are trying to make as much as they can as well. My approach will cost me about $300 total and I will have a program in place for the future, whereas if I want this company to come out and certify, they will charge me a minimum of $600, which I have to keep paying for every 3 years.

My plan is to recertify one our most experienced drivers (he has been certified before and is up again), and purchase a standard training kit so that we can conduct training in house. Will that work? Training company was saying it wasn't going to work.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
#4
Here is what the OSHA reg says......

1910.178(l)(2)(iii)
All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence.
Guess what? It's based upon the judgement of the employer (YOU), and not some 3rd party bucking for your cash.

All of the training requirments start in 1910.178 (I)

Here is the link to the OSHA regulation for Industrial Trucks.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9828

There are also OSHA Interpretations that are available and you will find them in the link below...bottom line YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE A 3RD PARTY!

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25021

Here is the important part of the OSHA Interpretation (PIT means Powered Industrial Truck or forklift)

Question: What does OSHA mean by the word "experience" in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(iii)? Specifically, does it mean that the trainers must be certified to train drivers to operate PITs, or does it mean that the trainers must operate PITs on a regular basis as part of their job function and responsibility?

Reply: A trainer must have the "knowledge, training, and experience" to train others how to safely operate the powered industrial truck in the employer's workplace. In general, the trainer will only have sufficient "experience" if he has the practical skills and judgment to be able to himself operate the equipment safely under the conditions prevailing in the employer's workplace. For example, if the employer uses certain truck attachments and the trainer has never operated a truck with those attachments, the trainer would not have the experience necessary to train and evaluate others adequately on the safe use of those attachments. However, the standard does not require that the trainers operate a PIT regularly (i.e., outside of their operator training duties) as part of their job function or responsibility.
 
D

DrM2u

#5
I am not sure how it works in CA, but a while ago I lived in MI. There I contacted MIOSHA (Michigan's OSHA branch) and they were able to provide me FOR FREE with training and testing materials for lift truck drivers. As far as the trainer's qualifications, their only guideline was the trainer's ability to impart the information to the trainees. In other words, review and explain the training materials to the trainees. One thing I have done in addtion to that was to acquire a fork lift tape (old days!) from JJ Keller. I also attended a train-the-trainer class on the topic but I cannot remember if it was through JJ Keller or the MIOSHA. I remember that it did not cost much (<$500) and it was one day only. I am not aware of any other additional requirements or guidelines for someone to be a qualified trainer.

Either way, I strongly suggest that you contact the state OSHA office and see what free information they can provide you with. I am sure they will be able to help with this at a much lower cost than other 'consulting' outfits.
 
C

ChrissieO

#6
I am based in the UK and we have one on site fork lift trainer who is responsible for initial and ongoing training of all our drivers. Approx 40 in total.

He did however, attend a trainers course. This satisfies all the requirements of OHSAS and any other relevant bodies.

Cx
 
P

pridehawk

#7
I am in China, and all forklift drivers need certifications by specified unit. This requirement is from law.
 
D

DavidClark

#8
OSHA has recently mentioned more than ten thousands of employees are being injured or killed annually due to forklift accidents. This is because of lack of appropriate training to the operators.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
#9
Old news David, old news and it's not training of the operators, it's enforcement of requirements that employers fail at
 
S

silentrunning

#10
Our workmens comp representative was very helpful on this and arranged for two of our people to be certified as trainers. They did an excellent job.
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
B OSHA Top Ten webinar, March 31 (free online) [Deleted] Misc. Quality Assurance and Business Systems Related Topics 1
E OSHA - 1926.252(e) - Oily Rag Storage Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 22
Sidney Vianna Interesting Discussion Legal compliance as part of ISO 45001 accredited certification. Major OSHA penalties in the USA. Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 15
R OSHA - How often an employee needs to be Re-Trained on Safety Methods Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 4
hogheavenfarm OSHA Regulations as Applicable ISO Requirements ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 4
M AS9100 Re-Cert Audit - Auditor concerned with OSHA regulations AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 3
Scott Catron OSHA Hazcom GHS Implementation - June 1 2015 deadline Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 8
N Work Environment - ISO 9001 Clause 6.4 vs. OSHA Requirements ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 10
S OSHA Form 174 Template Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 13
G OSHA Requirement for Training on HAZCOM Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 19
G Is there an OSHA Safety Accreditation? Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 9
M OSHA Requirements for Fork Truck Training Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 12
K NRTL mark per OSHA regulations - Preferences and experiences IEC 60601 - Medical Electrical Equipment Safety Standards Series 2
D Possibly Unwarranted OSHA Citation Question Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 7
Mikey324 How to Check for Legal (OSHA Federal & State) Updates Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 5
S OSHA and IEC61010 and IEC60601-1 - Varied Requirements Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 1
S OSHA and UL 60601-1 Relationship Other Medical Device Related Standards 3
M Identifying Routine and Non-Routine Activities: OSHA OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 6
W OSHA Requirements and NRTL Electrical Equipment Listing Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 6
S OSHA Requirements for air hose nozzle - Can it be metal or is it plastic? Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 2
M Documentation for Health & Safety (OSHA) require ECO's? ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 11
T Status of Material Safety Data Sheet (OSHA Compliant) vs. 10993 Certificate US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 5
M Management of Change regulations by the US EPA and the US OSHA Various Other Specifications, Standards, and related Requirements 4
C What should a temporary, remote location have in place to ensure OSHA compliance? Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 14
J Safety requirement for snap-off ID strap - OSHA Requirement? Various Other Specifications, Standards, and related Requirements 3
Jim Wynne Interesting Signs - Possible new OSHA requirement? Funny Stuff - Jokes and Humour 7
M Recordable Injuries OSHA 300 Log - What kind injuries are required to be recorded? Various Other Specifications, Standards, and related Requirements 11
Z Audit Check List for Safety Machinery - Conformity with OSHA 1910 General Auditing Discussions 7
Marc BSI and OSHA Web Site Various Other Specifications, Standards, and related Requirements 1
S OSHA Exposure Limits - Regulations for Exposure Information Various Other Specifications, Standards, and related Requirements 1
Raffy OSHA vs. OHSAS 18001 vs. Work Environment - Clause 6.4 Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 16
Awais Forklift Reliability Analysis Manufacturing and Related Processes 6
J ISO 9001 Competency - Forklift License and Internal Auditors ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 9
M What are the major causes of Forklift Accidents? Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 13
A Forklift Integration into the Quality Manual AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 14
M CE Marking - Forklift Trucks Imported Legacy Blogs 5
B Required Wall Thickness for Forklift Extensions Manufacturing and Related Processes 5
H Forklift Safety - Driver loses control in warehouse (Video) Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 2
Jim Wynne Forklift Safety, or Lack Thereof Coffee Break and Water Cooler Discussions 4
Ajit Basrur Driving License for Forklift operators Manufacturing and Related Processes 9
S MSDS for Forklift Battery - Do I need to get an MSDS for our forklift batteries? Miscellaneous Environmental Standards and EMS Related Discussions 15
T Shipping / Receiving Forklift Truck Work Instruction Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 6
F My boss wants a mix of Procedure and Form - Forklift and Manlift Equipment Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 5
A Self-training or Self-studying ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 8
N ISO 9001 - Training business with fewer than 5 employees ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 4
S Employees training database Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 4
optomist1 Rates Daily or Hourly Process Improvement Training Consultants and Consulting 2
Le Chiffre Online training available for ISO/IEC 17021-1: Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems Training - Internal, External, Online and Distance Learning 3
S IEC60601-1 Training recommendations Training - Internal, External, Online and Distance Learning 1
P Training department ideas and development for automotive supplier Training - Internal, External, Online and Distance Learning 6

Similar threads

Top Bottom