Jonah, you ask "Are you permitted to swap and change you training standards as and when it suits in the US?"
I think JoeM answered that when he said "In the USA, OSHA demands compliance with all training topics listed, but allows you to disregard those an employer can demonstrate are not applicable", I think most reasonable folks would consider a 16 year record as "can demonstrate are not applicable".
And no, I can not share the name of the company, as I do not have their permissions to advertise their business. Can you divulge the names of any of your customer's in a public forum? I know we do not ever, without specific written permissions.
?Perhaps that too is different between the US and the other side of the pond? If it ever becomes public domain information, I will be sure to return and inform you, the world and their dogs of whom they are. On this side of the pond, such a disclosure would be considered {at best unprofessional, and more likely} actionable in a court of law.
Jonah, you say "Nothing personal intended", yet you had previously said; "they shouldn't be operating a truck and should be attending the latest mothers meeting instead. =paragraph= What surprises me even more is that the OP says in his sig that he is an ITSSAR FLT Instructor? This is basic stuff. Should know better". I know I can see how that may appear 'personal', even if you do not.

I know I appreciate the input and discussion, Jonah, and while I won't bother making a false disclaimer that I am saying 'nothing personal', I would also note that your assumption is not universally agreed with as to the importance of; "selecting neutral and applying the handbrake before using the hydraulics", even though that is the standard where you provide your services. On my side of the pond, that regulation is viewed with incredulity by most forklift operators, and is often pointed to as 'government over reach'.

If you read my post you may have recognized that I _had_ "simply accept that tilting the forks back" is generally 'best practice', and had been _corrected_ by the corporate safety officer of a customer, for their operation ONLY.

Jonah, you also make a very contradictory statement in; "I have no reason to doubt that the business you refer to is so insistent on travelling with their forks tilted forward"... "Could you possibly divulge that business name so that I could check your 16 year safety record and verify that they do indeed insist on travelling with forks tilted forward"..."I think it needs verifying".
Your statement basically calls me a liar, in an open forum,,, you go even further with your "not personal" attack in stating; "I very much doubt that you would be convinced in whatever was shown to you". I think that calls your basic understanding of 'professionalism' _and_ your use of 'The Queen's English' into question. It is -not- _MY_ 16 year safety record, it is the record of a particular facility in a huge company, and it -is- a personal attack on my credibility, about something I have no reason to be less than absolutely honest about.


Jonah, do you know this forum allows us to edit our comments after we post?