Do your manuals communicate?

Darren Cottingham -
Safety First
- 20 Sep 2018 ( #890 )
2 min read
Darren Cottingham
Darren Cottingham
Darren Cottingham is director of DT Driver Training, a provider of online training courses for drivers of forklifts, trucks and cars.
Instruction booklets never win the Pulitzer Prize, mainly because they use the driest, least engaging prose to explain functional things. This issue is endemic in all kinds of training and development materials.

If intelligent, articulate humans find it a struggle, those who have difficulties reading - adults with literacy issues - face an uphill battle.

Literacy is more than just being able to read the words on a page: it's about being able to take that information and apply it in real world situations. Literacy impacts on people's ability to take in information that is important in the workplace.

How does low literacy affect your business?
Forklift operators tend to have low literacy levels. Operators who struggle to learn tasks cost more to train and experience lower productivity. If the learning isn't effective, they make more mistakes, which costs the business more in time and materials. If instructions can't be followed effectively, it can create dangerous or even life-threatening situations, especially when you might be dealing with heavy equipment or dangerous goods in a warehouse.

If English is a person's second language, they may have learned to speak it well but might not read it well; in some cases, the alphabet might be completely different to the one they learned at school.

At the same time, people from some cultures find it difficult to admit they don't understand and won't put their hand up for extra help. The culture of a workplace can also make this difficult if employees are berated for being 'stupid'.

Mitigating literacy issues in training
Recognising when your team has literacy issues can be difficult as people are often embarrassed about it and try to hide it. There are multiple options for dealing with it:
1. Focus on practical, hands-on training for those who show signs of literacy difficulties.
2. If a person's first language isn't English, is the training material available in their mother tongue? You can use Google Translate to help with this.
3. Supply audio or video recordings of the material, if available. Dry, printed training materials can often be quickly turned into more interesting video materials with a smartphone and free editing software.
4. Re-assess all your training and decide whether it's all still relevant or even necessary.
5. Break your training down into shorter sessions. Literacy-challenged individuals need to concentrate harder to understand information and this can shorten their overall attention span and ability to assimilate new information.
6. Give people the ability to access the training in their own time so that they can revisit it if necessary.
7. Implement a workplace literacy program as it will improve the overall business performance.

By actively managing the style of training for your employees with literacy issues you can help them become loyal, productive team members.
Also Read:
A fork(lift) in the road: why the future of “machine vision” is multi-sensory
Murray Cox
2 minute read
A fork(lift) in the road: why the future of “machine vision” is multi-sensory Your Focus - 9 Oct 2025 (#1251) Murray Cox is principal engineer at Speedshield Technologies, where he seamlessly connects cutting-edge research with real-world industrial mobile equipment and applications. Here he looks at why the future of machine vision is multi-sensory.
Enhancing industrial safety: the power of context-aware mobile technology
Tejal Ranjan
2 minute read
Enhancing industrial safety: the power of context-aware mobile technology Your Focus - 18 Sep 2025 (#1248) Tejal Ranjan is the vice president of global marketing at JLT Mobile Computers, a leading provider of rugged computing solutions for demanding industrial environments. Here she looks at screen blanking technology.
When warehouses go dark: protecting connected material handling operations from cyber threats
Ellie Gabel
3 minute read
When warehouses go dark: protecting connected material handling operations from cyber threats Your Focus - 11 Sep 2025 (#1247) Ellie Gabel, a North Carolina-based freelance writer, looks at how to protect your business from cyber security threats which come with connected and smart materials handling equipment company.
For more unique stories and expert insights: read our industry blogs
Blog articles provide perspectives and opinions and therefore may contain inaccurate or incomplete information. Forkliftaction Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. If you feel that significant facts are overlooked, or have a different viewpoint on a topic addressed, we invite you to open a conversation in our Discussion Forums.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading
Upcoming industry events …
November 11, 2025 - Sydney, Australia
November 26-27, 2025 - Budapest, Hungary
May 20-22, 2026 - Jakarta, Indonesia

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading
Editorial calendar - planned features
CONSTRUCTION FORKLIFTS
HANDLING GOODS IN THE COLD
LOADING/UNLOADING FREIGHT
BROWNFIELD AUTOMATION
FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS
BATTERY AFFORDABILITY AND LIFETIME
FORKLIFT SAFETY
Upcoming industry events …
November 11, 2025 - Sydney, Australia
November 26-27, 2025 - Budapest, Hungary
May 20-22, 2026 - Jakarta, Indonesia
Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading

PREMIUM business

ROYPOW
Manufacturer of lithium forklift battery solutions, the global leader in the market of lithium batteries replacing lead acid batteries.