What’s the minimum training to drive a forklift?
You’ve been looking at forklift truck training for your warehouse supervisor. However, all of the courses available are really in-depth and last for days. Do you really need to send your member of staff on such a course?
Run of the mill
Your use of forklift trucks is extremely minimal and your warehouse is pretty straightforward. The truck is just used occasionally to move the odd pallet. When you looked into formalising your driver’s training, it seemed really time-consuming and expensive. The training company said that you needed to send him on a five-day course, plus arrange for familiarisation training at your premises, in order that he’d have the right certification. This seems crazy as he’s been using the truck on and off for a few years without incident. You can’t afford the lost time or the cost. What should you do?
Legal requirements
The legislation applicable is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. To comply with the legal requirements, employers need to ensure that all forklift drivers they employ are adequately trained. The HSE’s guidance states that training should include three stages:
1.Basic training - basic skills and knowledge for safe operation.
2.Specific job training - workplace knowledge and experience of any special needs and handling attachments.
3.Familiarisation training - operation on the job, closely supervised.
The HSE says that for a novice driver, the training may well take five days. But there’s no set amount of time and it’s OK for trainers to specify much shorter courses for experienced operators.
What should you do?
The answer to the dilemma is to book someone to come to your premises to deliver the training.
Tip 1. Be clear with the provider that the training is for an “experienced operator”. These are the magic words which will make them amenable to a shorter course.
Tip 2. Make it clear that you want the training to cover the limited range of equipment and work activities on site and that it must cover all three stages of training required to the HSE’s standards, i.e. basic skills, job-specific and familiarisation.
Tip 3. The training for experienced operators should take one day. You can also have up to three people trained at once. Provided the trainer judges that your staff have gained the skills and knowledge required by the end of the course, then it’s deemed to be sufficient.
Tip 4. Prices vary, but you should expect to pay approximately £200-£250 per day for the trainer (see The next step).
Does it need to be accredited?
It’s permissible for any person to give instruction provided they can demonstrate that they’ve been instructed as a trainer and skills assessor, and that they have relevant experience and training in the particular truck and attachments. But bear in mind that if you’re ever asked to prove the adequacy of the training, doing so will be easier if you’ve used an approved trainer.
For further information on basic forklift truck training, visit http://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk (HS 08.21.07).
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