To keep your employees safe in the warehouse or factory, OSHA requires that your staff be trained and certified.

Training and certification must include formal instruction, written exams, and hands-on evaluations. After workouts, operators need re-evaluations every three years to maintain powered industrial trucks’ safe and proper operation.

OSHA Requirements

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has rules and standards that employers must follow. They are designed to protect workers from a variety of serious workplace hazards.

These rules apply to every workplace that uses forklifts or other powered industrial trucks, such as construction, manufacturing, and warehouses.

To help meet these forklift OSHA license Riverside CA requirements, businesses can create a training program that meets the specific needs of their work environment and the type of forklifts they operate.

Once the training is complete, employees must be evaluated by an experienced trainer to ensure that they understand the rules and can safely perform their duties.

This evaluation is necessary to ensure that employees follow the safety procedures and regulations set forth by OSHA. Failure to do so could result in expensive fines.

Training Requirements

Forklift operators must undergo training on the type of equipment they will use and the working conditions they will encounter. This must include both formal instruction and practical training.

Formal instruction can be delivered online or in person through an OSHA-certified instructor. It can include lectures, discussions, interactive computer learning and videotapes.

Practical training includes hands-on demonstrations performed by the trainer and exercises performed by the trainee on the forklift model they will use. It also has an evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.

OSHA requires forklift operators to be retrained at least once every three years or more frequently if the worker was involved in an accident or near-miss incident, or if there are changes to the operator’s work environment or equipment operation. This is to ensure that their skills remain at a high level.

Certification Requirements

If your company hires employees through contractors or temporary agencies, you must ensure that the agency meets OSHA standards for forklift operator training. The agency is the employee’s employer, not your company.

To comply with OSHA requirements, you must offer a combination of formal instruction (lecture and video), hands-on training (demonstration and practical exercises), and evaluation of operator performance in the workplace.

The training must cover manufacturer recommendations, industry standards, and OSHA regulations. This includes the safe operation of the equipment, how to load and unload it safely, and maneuvering in tight spaces efficiently.

The training must include both classroom and hands-on training, and an operator performance evaluation must be conducted every three years. Retraining is also required if there are changes in workplace conditions or equipment that make previous training obsolete.

Record-Keeping Requirements

As a part of OSHA licensing requirements, an employer must keep documentation regarding the training and certification of forklift operators. These records must include the names of the employee, the date the movement took place and the evaluation results.

The documentation can be printed or kept digitally. It should also be available when an OSHA inspector asks to see it.

Forklift operator refresher courses should be recorded at least once every three years. This helps the training personnel assess trainees’ progression and monitor what they need to supply.

The records should be retained for the duration of the worker’s employment and even after he has left the company. This is a good practice because it will make things easier for you if you need to rehire the employee if he is retrenched or being re-supplied by job agencies.