Counterbalance Forklift Training Just the Beginning of Safety

We train our counterbalance forklift drivers in the UK because we know the importance of safety on the production floor. We also know that legislation requires employers to provide a minimum amount of training to ensure the safety of all workers, vendors and customers. But counterbalance forklift training is just the beginning of safety. Being as safe as possible extends to many other areas, including proper inspection of equipment at regular intervals.

There is currently no legal standard for equipment inspection. Unlike cars, which are required to undergo an MOT every year following the third year after manufacture, forklift equipment is under no such restrictions. Employers are simply expected to maintain safe equipment in order to avoid accidents. They can still be penalised in the event that unsafe equipment creates a dangerous situation.

In light of that, the Forklift Truck Association and the British Industrial Truck Association have teamed up to form the Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS) organisation. One of the things the CFTS has done to improve forklift safety is the development of their Thorough Examination programme for forklift trucks. Companies that utilise Thorough Examination can rest assured that their forklifts are always as safe as they possibly can be.

Individual Examination Responsibilities

Equipment inspections take place at different times, depending on the kind of equipment used, the environment in which it is used, and the harshness of the work performed. Having said that, multiple stakeholders have their own individual examination responsibilities. A forklift operator may perform a cursory examination of visible parts and systems before beginning a shift, while maintenance technicians will do a more thorough examination at regular intervals.

The CFTS takes counterbalance forklift training one step further by assigning individual responsibilities to the various stakeholders. They offer an online calculator tool that makes it a bit easier to schedule equipment examination and maintenance based on a company’s circumstances. When the schedule is followed, it guarantees safer equipment is being used in the workplace.

Another big part of the Thorough Examination programme is one of defining what actually constitutes a proper examination. Because forklift equipment is different from one model to the next, it is important for owners to understand what is required for the particular equipment they use. The CFTS spells all of that out in an interactive guide that leaves nothing to chance.

Thorough Examinations Mean Better Safety

As a leading provider of counterbalance forklift training in the UK, the HGV Training Centre fully appreciates the need for safety in environments where forklift trucks are used. Much of the time we invest in our training concentrates on safety issues as well. We teach operators how to safely drive their vehicles in the presence of other traffic and pedestrians; we teach them how to safely load and unload lorries; we teach them how to stack and unstack cargo while minimising the risk of spillage. In addition to regular and thorough equipment examinations, we believe proper training is critical to operational safety.

Sources:

1. SHD Logistics – http://www.shdlogistics.com/news/how-thorough-is-your-thorough-examination
2. CFTS – http://www.thoroughexamination.org/