It's crucial to be able to prove you've done the right thing. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Rob Vetter is technical director and managing partner with the Ives Training Group, in Blaine, WA, USA, a leader in North American mobile equipment training systems since 1981.

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Do you remember those corny courtroom TV dramas that always ended up with either the beleaguered witness breaking down on the stand under the intense pressure of the prosecutor ("...alright I did it and I'm glad I did it!") or the 'surprise' witness who was mysteriously unreachable for the entire episode, arriving like a white knight just in the nick of time to save the day? Corny stuff indeed, but I have to admit the drama made great entertainment.

Unfortunately, in the real world, courtroom and/or litigation procedures are nowhere near as entertaining, especially to the parties involved... But the effects can be just as dramatic. Based on the media coverage relating to forklift incidents and all the details addressing issues of cause and effect that I review, there appears to be a common thread weaving its way through many of the reported cases: the consequences of the lack of proper forklift operator training documentation. In many of the case summations I read, I often come across phrases that, although worded differently, essentially point to the employer or user's inability to "prove" that the required training took place.

This issue speaks to a very fundamental tenet of training and one that comes up early and often during forklift operator 'train the trainer' programs that I deliver: If it isn't written down, it didn't happen. It is a very serious matter and can be an extremely bitter pill to swallow if you have to learn the hard way.

Documentation is the key to a successful training program because, for all intents and purposes, it is the training program. It is likely that regulatory authorities conducting general worksite inspections may rely on observation to base their assessment of operator training, but it is a virtual certainty that if a forklift incident causes an investigation, it will move well beyond general observation into deep scrutiny of such things as the trainer's lesson plan, logs, material content, written and practical evaluations and, of course, the qualifications and competence of the trainer. From there, authorities will probably move on to looking into:
* how the training program is implemented and enforced by the employer with respect to practical application(s);
* what steps are taken to regularly identify hazards
* the corrective action taken to ensure that the required safety procedures advocated within the training are carried out on an ongoing basis; and
* whether those not following safety rules and practices are re-trained or even disciplined.

It can get very ugly in a hurry, but having accurate and complete documentation of all aspects of a training program can alleviate a lot of pressure as it provides the proof that, in spite of the fact that a damage- or injury-producing incident may have occurred, the employer acted responsibly and diligently and, as such, would likely be absolved of any sort of negligence issues. That would certainly not be the case if the relevant documentation could not be produced.

I recommend that, at the very least, the documentation retained by an employer relative to forklift operator training should include:

* The name of the operator;
* The date and location of the training;
* The date and location of the evaluation;
* Evaluation results (written test, practical evaluation);
* The type of equipment addressed/used;
* The name of the trainer and/or evaluator;
* The qualifications of the trainer / evaluator.

The trainer should be able to produce detailed information on the content and duration of each phase of the program and, if possible, general information on the methods employed to ensure the training is understood by the trainees.

In the event of an incident, there is no guarantee that documentation will make all of your problems go away but I can guarantee that, without it, you will have a huge problem that not even the late arrival of a white knight will solve.