Forklift training is essential for your business and your employees. Forklifts are powerful pieces of machinery that are essential for the operations of many industries, like the manufacturing and logistics industry. As necessary as they are, these machines are also prone to causing personal injury and property damage.
Every year forklifts cause around 1,300 severe injuries and hospitalisations in the UK. Forklifts are also responsible for around 25% of all workplace transport fatalities. Forklift operating errors also cause a staggering worth of damage to products and property every year, currently estimated at more than £1 billion globally.
So, how can you protect both your employees and your bottom line from forklift accidents?
Why Should Forklift Drivers Undergo Training?
The most important reason is safety. Untrained and unlicensed forklift drivers are an immediate danger to themselves, their colleagues, and your business operations. In the UK, someone is killed every six weeks by a forklift truck. This makes forklift training a potentially life-saving investment.
Of course, accidents are part of life, but forklift training can reduce the severity of those accidents and reduce financial losses too. According to the recent Health and Safety Executive review, forklift training is one of the most effective ways to prevent accidents and fatalities in your workplace.
Some business owners overlook the importance of quality training for forklift drivers as they view it as time-consuming and an unnecessary expense. But doing the bare minimum when it comes to training is nothing more than a recipe for disaster.
With appropriate training, forklift drivers will be more aware of the dangers of operating the forklift, how to avoid them, and how to respond appropriately when accidents do happen.
What Forklift Training Do You Need?
While, technically speaking, there is no such thing as a forklift driving license, that doesn’t mean forklift operators shouldn’t undergo extensive training before operating these potentially dangerous machines.
Employers have a legal responsibility to create a safe working environment for their employees. As a forklift driver, your employer must ensure that you have the necessary skills to safely operate the forklift and related equipment. The HSE recognises this responsibility and has worked alongside providers to develop recognised forklift training courses and certification schemes. As a result, most companies now require their forklift drivers to have some form of certification (often referred to as a licence).
To be a forklift driver, you will have to receive training from one of the six HSE-approved accrediting organisations. An accredited training centre, like TL Training, can offer courses that meet the standards of one of the approved accrediting organisations.
Many forklift training courses aim to meet different needs. The right course for you will depend on factors such as the type of forklift vehicle you operate and your level of experience. The training courses TL Training offer includes comprehensive RTITB forklift truck training, multi-directional truck training, refresher FLT training, and we can even deliver RTITB instructor courses.
What Will You Learn at Forklift Training?
The accredited novice forklift courses will cover the basic operations of a forklift, balance retention, how to identify malfunctions, knowledge of best practice and more.
Forklifts are challenging to manoeuvre, and adding the weight of a few pallet loads renders the task dangerous too. Forklift training will teach you all the basic controls of the forklift through demonstrative training. This part of the training is practical and interactive. You’ll be able to ask questions and receive clarity about any element of the forklift training you find unclear or challenging.
Learning to balance your forklift load is essential for workplace safety. The training you receive will teach you how to manage forklift load based on the fundamental principles of physics. Learning these techniques will help you identify safety risks and how to respond appropriately when malfunctions do occur.
Awareness of the best practices when using a forklift can go a long way to creating a safer working environment and, ultimately, prevent expensive accidents. For instance, forklift operating best practices include always wearing a safety belt, keeping loads at least 152mm off the floor, and keeping within specific driving speeds.
Forklift drivers need to be prepared for all issues that come their way daily. Accredited forklift training will help you be prepared and alert when it really counts.
Why Choose TL Training for Forklift Training?
Forklifts fulfil essential roles in many industries. But many operators are not appropriately trained, opening the door to forklift-related accidents and injuries. Although there is no official forklift licensing authority in the UK, employers still have a legal responsibility to promote workplace safety. That’s why forklift driver training should be at the top of your priority list.
At TL Training, we understand just how important it is to have a trained workforce. We have provided quality training to novice, intermediate, and experienced forklift operators spread across a broad spectrum of industries.
Our RTITB-accredited training is offered by experienced trainers, ensuring you leave our courses with the necessary confidence and knowledge to operate a forklift safely. We can also deliver forklift training on your business premises should you need us to.
Whether you’re new to the profession or require a refresher course, there’s a TL Training course for you. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our courses or to speak to one of our FLT training experts about your business requirements.
