Stand up Forklift Training

Stand up Forklift Operators must be trained
Stand up Forklift Training:

An untrained operator of a stand-up forklift can be as dangerous as an unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle.

OSHA regulations require that the employer ensure that a forklift operator is competent to operate the forklift he or she is assigned to use.

The employer must document operator training and an evaluation of the operator’s performance while using the forklift.

Stand-up forklift operator training

Training has three parts:

• Formal instruction such as a lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, videotape, and or written material (can be taken anywhere)
• Practical training which includes hands-on demonstrations by the trainer and exercises by the trainee (on the model of forklift the worker will use); and
• An evaluation of the effectiveness of the training by observing the operator’s performance while doing actual work using the forklift. This evaluation must be repeated at least once every three years (must be at a workplace).

Refresher training must be given if the operator has been involved in an accident, near miss, or unsafe operations.

Also, if an operator is assigned to a new type of stand-up forklift or if workplace conditions change that could affect safety, then refresher training is required.

Stand up forklift training class

The topics listed in the table below must be covered when training a forklift operator. If a specific topic does not apply to the forklift in the employer’s workplace, covering it is optional.

Stand up forklift safety Topics

Topics related to industrial stand-up forklift training:

• Operating instructions
• Warnings and precautions for the types of PIT the operator will be authorized to operate
• Differences between the PIT and the automobile
• PIT controls and instrumentation: Where they are located, what they do, and how they work
• Engine or motor operation
• Steering and maneuvering
• Visibility (including restrictions due to loading)
• Fork and attachment adaptation, operation, and use limitations
• PIT capacity
• PIT stability
• Any PIT inspection and maintenance that the operator will be required to perform
• Refueling
• Charging and recharging of batteries
• Operating limitations
• Any other operating instructions, warnings, or precautions listed in the operator’s manual for the types of PIT that the employee is being trained to operate

Stand up forklift safety Topics in workplace

Topics related to your workplace

• Surface conditions where the PIT will be operated
• Composition of loads to be carried and load stability
• Load manipulation, stacking, and un-stacking
• Pedestrian traffic in areas where the PIT will be operated
• Narrow aisles and other restricted places where the PIT will be operated
• Use of door opening and closing devices
• Hazardous (classified) locations where the PIT will be operated
• Ramps and other sloped surfaces that could affect the PITs stability
• Closed environments and other areas where insufficient ventilation or poor PIT maintenance could cause a buildup of carbon monoxide or diesel exhaust
• Other unique or potentially hazardous environmental conditions in the workplace that could affect safe operation

Qualified Trainers

The employer or any other person the employer chooses who has the knowledge, training, and experience to train and evaluate forklift operators can do this training and evaluation. The trainee can only operate the forklift when directly supervised by such a person and when this would not endanger anyone.

Documenting Training

If the operator had previous forklift training, the employer must document that the training covered the required topics described above. The operator must have been evaluated in the current work within the last three years.

Training and Evaluation Records

The employer must keep a record that shows that each stand-up forklift operator has been trained. The record includes the name of the operator, date of training, date of an evaluation, and the name of the person(s) giving the training and evaluation.

Stand up forklift how to operate?

Is driving a forklift hard?
Driving a stand-up forklift is different than driving a car

In a car or truck, the front wheels steer the vehicle. A forklift has steering wheels in the rear.

The rear end of the forklift swings in a circle around the front wheels that support most of the load. The operator must check that there is room for the rear end to swing when making turns. This clearance can be maintained in your workplace by permanently marking aisles with painted lines or arranging storage racks in a way that creates obvious aisles for travel.

However, these marked aisles will only be effective if you keep them clear of stored materials, which can gradually encroach as space is needed.

A stand-up forklift is not as responsive as a car when turning the steering wheel. Rear steering makes it difficult to stop a forklift quickly or swerve and still maintain control. It is important, then not to drive a forklift fast or round corners quickly.

Forklift incline limits

Driving forklift with load:
Driving with the load downhill can result in loss of the load and control of the forklift.

If you drive a forklift on an incline, you must keep the load on the uphill side. Otherwise, you may have no weight on the wheels that steer and can lose control! The load could also fall off or cause the forklift to tip.

Often a large forklift load obstructs the driver’s view in one direction. It may be necessary to travel long distances with the load to the rear (in reverse for most forklifts). Use extra caution when traveling in reverse.

Stand up Forklift safety features

An overhead guard prevents an object on the forks or on a high rack from falling onto the operator while picking or placing a load at elevation.

The guard is not designed to withstand the impact of a full load. It can be effective in deflecting small packages. It is required on all stand-up forklifts that can lift a load above the operator unless conditions such as clearances would not allow the forklift to be used.

Operator restraints will hold you in the seat if you strike an object or if the forklift overturns. Forklift manufacturers have been required to equip new forklifts with operator restraints such as seat belts. Many forklift manufacturers offer restraint systems that can be retrofitted on older forklifts.

If your forklift begins to overturn, you are safest when you stay in the seat, hold on firmly, and lean in the opposite direction of the fall rather than trying to jump.

Many fatal accidents happened when the operator tried to jump. As the forklift begins to tip, it will move slowly – tricking the operator into believing there is time to jump. Once the center of gravity is past the wheel line, the forklift will rapidly fall. The forklift’s overhead guard will quickly pin or crush an operator who jumps

If your forklift has a restraint such as a seat belt or a lap bar, you must use it.

Stand up Forklift load center chart

How to stand up forklifts safely carry and lift heavy loads?

A stand-up forklift works on the principle of a cantilever. A load on a beam (the forks) supported by a fulcrum (the front wheels) is counterbalanced by a weight o the other end of the beam (the forklift body and counterweight built into it).

Whether a forklift will safely carry a load or will tip forward can be determined by comparing the “moment” of each.

Moment equals the distance from the fulcrum to the center of gravity (the point where all the weight is concentrated) times the weight.

As the load is raised, it becomes possible for the stand-up forklift to fall to the side as well as tip forward. The operator must consider the center of gravity of the stan up forklift and load together. This combined center of gravity moves as the load is moved and as the forklift travels over surfaces that are rough or inclined.

Forklifts have a “stability triangle”. The sides of the triangle as shown in the illustration are formed by the center of each front wheel and the center of the rear wheel or at the center of the axle if there are two rear wheels.

A vertical line extending from the center of gravity of the vehicle-load combination must be inside of the stability triangle to prevent the forklift from tipping forward, falling sideways, or dropping its load.

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