Groups in Nebraska and California will provide training sessions on forklift safety.

The Nebraska Safety Council will offer classes on forklift safety training and lockout/tagout procedures on 31 May at McCook Community College.

Attendees can participate in either or both of two-hour sessions relating, separately, to forklift training and lockout/tagout.

Training will review the engineering principles and safe operating techniques of forklifts in use today. The program aims to reduce injuries to co-workers and operators and minimise damage to property and cargo. Subjects include pre-operation inspection, forklift classifications, safety principles relating to forklift movement and stability and accident prevention rules.

Starting separately on 30 May at the college in McCook, the council will hold a 10-hour general industry certification course on US Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards and compliance programs and procedures.

Elsewhere in Nebraska, the council plans forklift safety training classes on 28 May in York, 11 June in Norfolk, 23 July and 13 November in Lincoln and 25 September in Kearney.

The Lincoln-based safety council provides leadership and resources to promote safe and healthy workplace and community environments and is accepting registrations for the classes.

Meanwhile in California, the Lake County Farm Bureau and the State Compensation Insurance Fund will hold a free forklift safety training seminar on 2 July in English and Spanish at the Mt Konocti Growers Inc winery in Kelseyville.

Trainer Rod Teeter will provide the formal classroom instruction, which aims to benefit those planning to drive a forklift during harvest season for the pear packing sheds. Videos cover essential operating conditions, need for caution around vehicle and pedestrian traffic, recognition of special hazards, proper load manipulation and how to inspect equipment.

For the fourth year, the winery hosts the event, which annually has 50-120 attendees, says Kristen Krohn, farm bureau office manager. Attendees must know how to drive a forklift prior to the event.

The bureau in Lakeport, California is a non-governmental non-profit membership organisation and is accepting registrations for the class.

The state legislature established the State Compensation Insurance Fund in 1914. The San Francisco-based fund is California's largest provider of workers' compensation insurance.