Forklift News - David Hoover: Who’s training the trainers?

The subject of who should be teaching the safe operation of powered industrial trucks is always a hot one. I don’t know much about standards outside the US, but I would think the same issues might apply anywhere in the world where standards are more "grey" than "black and white."

Before the new forklift training standard was introduced in the late 1990s, OSHA was silent on the issue of trainers’ qualifications. The new standard added, in section (l)(2)(iii) "All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence." It still seems a bit vague, but it’s much better than nothing. What if we applied these types of criteria to airline pilots and their trainers – would the skies be safe? Would you want your family flying to their vacation destination on a plane flown by a pilot trained by a trainer with vague qualifications? The answer is "no" and there are very strict criteria for that type of training.

In my opinion, we should expect professionalism and the right experience from our trainers in order to produce professional and safe operators. Many people sell videotapes and training materials in the US. If they argue that no-one needs to attend a train-the-trainer course, and that just about anyone can do the job if they’ve ever driven a forklift, I would totally disagree. OSHA gives some further explanation in the Federal Register, which states "An example of a qualified trainer would be a person who, by possession of a recognised degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience has demonstrated the ability to train and evaluate powered industrial truck operators."

I have trained many trainers and usually find that they have either come from the operations side and have had lots of experience, but have had very little exposure to OSHA or safety issues, or just the opposite, they have come from the safety ranks and have had little practical operation experience.

The challenge is to take both groups and give them what they need to succeed. Good quality, up-to-date materials are important in conducting good training, but the most critical element is the quality of the instructor. The job requires skill, patience, enthusiasm and a high regard for the lives of others. The job qualifications closely match those of great sports coaches and that is because forklift trainers really are coaches in an industrial setting – imparting knowledge and encourage their trainees to be the best they can be.

David Hoover is president of Forklift Training Systems Inc, a US safety company specialising in site and forklift safety training, training trainers, custom program development and cutting-edge forklift safety products. Contact David Hoover.

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