The eighth National Forklift Safety Day kicked off with a virtual event. Hosted by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA), various industry leaders attended as speakers. Chief among these was an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) representative.
You can view the archived event here. If you want to skip the 76-minute runtime and get the information right away, keep reading!
Forklift Safety and Operator Training
2020 saw a massive spike in forklift sales. This record growth has continued into 2021, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With so many more forklifts in use, ongoing operator training is more essential than ever.
The importance of operator training was OSHA's main focus during the presentation. The number of worker fatalities has decreased since 2018. However, OSHA pointed out an overall 20% trend increase since 2011.
OSHA found that 61% of these injured operators were Black and Hispanic. Honoring Executive Order 13985, OSHA took a closer look into these cases. The discovery was that most of these operators were hired as temporary workers. It then became clear that the training temporary workers received was insufficient.
OSHA believes proper operator training is the remedy to this industry-wide issue. Better training directly impacts forklift safety for the better.
How to Do Your Part
Moving forward, OSHA is pushing for ongoing training. This is going to extend to both temporary and full-time operators.
Invest in temporary workers by giving them adequate training. Contract length shouldn't influence the amount of training they receive.
This applies to experienced operators too. No one should only learn the material once. Make sure your workers go back and re-familiarize themselves with the basics periodically.
Another way to do your part is to ensure you have the highest quality equipment on the market. To compare your options, use Industrial Forklift Truck. Select your specifications. Then, we'll send you free information and quotes.