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Connell Material Handling believes that one of the most important aspects of material handling is safety in the workplace. In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates you, the employer, to certify that all of your employees are trained to operate the vehicles in your fleet they use.
Keep your workplace operating smoothly, prevent forklift accidents, and avoid hefty fines by ensuring all employees have the training they need to work confidently, efficiently, and safely.
While Connell Material Handling can’t certify your employees, we do offer products and services that provide the training necessary for your employees to safely operate your equipment. Whether it’s for first-time training or providing a refresher for re-certification, these solutions can help your employees keep the workplace safer.
Our Operator Safety Program allows Connell Company to administer OSHA-required training to one or all of your employees. We offer onsite training focused on the equipment your company uses, in whatever capacity your company is using it.*
The program’s rates are determined by the number of employees participating combined with a flat fee for the service provided.
Our Operator Safety Training Kit provides you with training materials to train your employees, all on your own! That means you can administer your own training programs, designed by Connell Company, to help adequately ensure safety in the workplace. That gives you more control and flexibility with employee training.*
Contact us to learn more about pricing.
One of the best ways to improve workplace safety is to ensure that everyone knows how to operate the vehicles they use, whether that equipment be scissor lifts, pallet jacks, or lift trucks.
No, an online-only certification course without any practical hands-on training is not OSHA compliant.
There are plenty of online training programs available that people can enroll in. These online courses claim to help potential operators learn crucial skills at their own pace. They’re often cheap and can be completed quickly, too. Best of all? These courses state that they are fully compliant with OSHA guidelines.
If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.
An online-only course with no practical training (i.e., “demonstration and practical exercises”) is not in compliance with OSHA regulations. OSHA states that certification training courses must include formal training and practical training and a final exam of the operator’s performance to be in compliance.
So while an online course can be part of someone’s forklift training, it cannot be the full extent of someone’s training.
OSHA sets federal laws and guidelines in place regarding the operation of powered industrial trucks, or forklifts. It is ultimately the responsibility of the employer to ensure that any training employees receive is in OSHA compliance.
OSHA states the following requirements for forklift operators:
Despite popular belief, people do not need a valid commercial driver’s license to operate a forklift, only that they meet the other requirements. For the full extent of what training and certification requires, please refer to the official OSHA Powered Industrial Truck standard.
Per OSHA standards, there are times when it is absolutely necessary to train or evaluate employees using powered industrial trucks. These times include when:
Workplace conditions change. If something about a worksite changes that could affect how someone operates equipment, evaluation should occur. For example, if someone has only operated a forklift indoors but now works on rough terrain outside, employers should evaluate if the operator can handle the equipment safely in this new environment.
According to the official government site, an OSHA forklift certification card must include the following information:
*It is the responsibility of the employer to check that training and forklift operator certification programs meet OSHA requirements.