well this is a very volatile subject now isn't it...
and while running the risk of going way off topic i will say this...

Being a dealer lift truck technician myself, we are viewed upon by the customer as being "experts" because we are factory trained and by all rights we should be "experts" on the brands we sell. We are expected to know everything there is to know about the machines we work on. Are we trained in lift truck safety? Well that is a different aspect of lift truck training that is not specifically covered in the training classes we take, what we deal with in those classes deal specifically with the lift truck operations , mechanical and electrical, the physical aspects of how the truck runs and are trained on how to troubleshoot and repair only.

Now as far as safety training we do touch base on the fact that certain components on the lift truck are required by OSHA and the other organizations to be functional "if they are installed by the factory and are on the truck" and are deemed a "safety component" but in most of the training classes i've been in this is only brought up if someone questions it. And in many classes these days that does get brought up during the training, not by the trainer but by the technicians.

If we have any "safety training" done it is generally separate from the machine training in the classes, it is done by the company we work for and is not a factory represented training course. The operator training cards we get are generated by the company and are a 'inhouse' generated card that certifies we have been trained on forklift operator safety for specific models of forklifts and is dated and should be renewed according to the company policies on this program.

Every dealer probably handles this in their own way so there is no specific precedence on how, when, where it is done.

Frankly..... being a "dealer" forklift technician, i never could understand the relevance for us having to have these "separate" certifications outside of the classroom training. The classroom training should cover this and automatically render the technician as a "certified lift truck operator" because we have to know the truck inside and out and "know how" to drive it safely. So certification cards should be given at the end of the classroom training imo ;o)