Articles Of Interest
October 2007 - Is the Right-of-Way Wrong?
Trainers are often tasked with keeping a training session interesting by encouraging group discussion. To do this, some popular advice is to bring up "hot button" topics that people feel strongly toward and react accordingly.
September 2007 - The Whiteboard Jungle
Sales and marketing experts often say that when selecting a product and/or service, most consumers base there decision to buy on three things; price, time, and quality. If you're anything like me when faced with type of decision, you'll probably say "I'll take a dozen of each." Trouble is, you can't have all three so you will need to pick two.
August 2007 - Safety or Compliance; If You Have To Choose.
An article I read recently in an e-zine called SafetyXChange talked about a safety consultant who was on a work site performing a safety audit. The consultant asked the Safety Director (or some such title) if he was aware of a particular hazard that was uncovered during a recent inspection to which he answered, yes. When asked by the consultant if he knew why nothing had been done to eliminate or control the hazard he answered, "Because I've been to busy getting ready for this safety audit."
May 2007 - It's All Good
If you have trained a forklift operator or two in your time you can probably relate to the experience of seeing the often upset emotional state of some trainees when they show up for training sessions. Often displaying signs ranging from utter apathy to immobilizing fear their state is usually due to the fact that in most cases, they have been sent, usually against their will, into a situation where failure is possible.
March 2007 - Certification is Only the Beginning
I'm still not sold on the value of the new crane operator certification requirements that are spreading across the country, at least not in the manner in which they appear to be being implemented. In my opinion there are a number of holes in the system and worse yet, too many take the presentation of an operator's certificate as some rite of passage for the operator to do whatever needs doing which is simply not the case.
March 2007 - One Good Apple
You have probably heard the old proverb one bad apple can spoil the barrel but have you ever seen the effect that one good apple can have on the others? The "apples" I am referring to here are of course a metaphor for forklift operators and the "good" ones are those operators who take the time do their jobs safely and in accordance with their training.
January 2007 - Old Habits Die Hard
They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but as it is with all so-called axioms of this nature, there are always exceptions. Old dogs can learn new tricks; it just takes them longer. The same is true of training experienced equipment operators who may have received little or no formal training at the beginning of their careers. They are not particularly enthusiastic about taking any training and are extremely doubtful whether any trainer can show or tell them anything useful.
January 2007 - Computer Based Training; a Contradiction in Terms by Rob Vetter
Have you been properly trained to do your job? It's a simple question that typically elicits a simple response; yes or no. But does training imply competence? Certainly not in my experience as a trainer of forklift operators. Delivered properly, training will provide the what, how and why relating to everything operators need to know and do, but what it cannot do is determine that most important of all questions; can they actually do it? There is only one way to find out - put them in the seat and have them go to it.
December 2006 - 'Tis the Season
Back in 1981 when I was an impressionable young man of 19, I lost a very near and dear friend to an industrial accident. He was electrocuted when he contacted live power lines while painting a building.
November 2006 - Can You Say Man-duh-tor-ee?
How long is it going to be before people figure out that compliance with regulations, standards incorporated by reference, manufacturer's instructions, etc., are not just some neat safety suggestions to follow if you can manage it, they are the law.
November 2006 - Seek First to Understand.Then Kick Some Butt.
In these days of extreme political correctness, it is hard for us trainers to define where the line is drawn between accommodating and offending. I can still recall a perfectly wonderful train the trainer program I was delivering in Kansas City MO., and completely ruining it by letting slip a reference to that place of fire and brimstone where the Prince of Darkness dwells.
October 2006 - Somebody Restrain Me
If I hear one more person squawk about the use of seat belts by forklift operators I think I'm going to scream. It has been over 20 years since the major manufacturers began outfitting their units with seat belts and over 10 since ANSI made it "standard" for manufacturers to supply them, and for users to use them; still, the wail of the seatbelt nay-sayers' continues.
September 2006 - Training; Not Just For Operators
I recently heard from a colleague about a report she had read in the "Job Market" section of the Seattle Times. The report contained some data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) attributing the "strong demand" for forklift operator jobs to the fact that employee turnover for such jobs is relatively high as was ".characteristic of jobs requiring little or no prior or formal training."
August 2006 - Site and Equipment Specific Specific Specific.
The fact that OSHA includes a list of truck related topics and workplace related topics within its forklift operator training standard means only one thing, it must be done. The requirement for ".evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace." within the standard makes it clear that general training and/or off-site evaluation is simply not good enough, and quite right.
July 2006 - The Evaluation Process
All of your training efforts will eventually lead to an evaluation in which trainees demonstrate their knowledge and/or skill for your consideration. The purpose of an evaluation is to determine if any additional training is required, not to pass or fail a trainee. However, a successful evaluation does not necessarily mean that no further training is required. Consider the following guidelines when conducting evaluations:
June 2006 - Are They Getting It?
Training forklift operators is a multi-faceted procedure that should ultimately end in understanding by the trainee, and confirmation of that understanding by the trainer. As a trainer, you must take very deliberate, calculated steps both in the classroom and in the field to evaluate the trainees' level of understanding.
May 2006 - Why Train?
Hello, and thank you for picking up on my inaugural article here in Forkliftaction.com. Over the years I have trained a lot of operators and operator trainers on all kinds of equipment ranging from loaders, to aerial equipment to cranes and of course, forklifts. If I had to pick a common thread to every one of those training sessions, it would be that except on extremely rare occasion, the issue of why training needs to be done surfaces.
The Tao Of Training.
Training, for all of its virtue and value, is misunderstood by many. There are those that look upon training as nothing more than a necessary evil, a regulatory requirement to which our collective noses are strictly held. While others, though they may embrace the task of delivering training, do nothing to maintain it and in so doing, fail to reap the benefits.
Regulations Schmegulations. Just do the Right Thing.
I just replied to an email from a confused trainer regarding re-certification requirements for aerial lift operators. Right after I clicked the "send" button on my lap-top, that little button that has caused me some real grief in the past, I did as I often do; observed two minutes of silence to contemplate what I had said. Then, I admonished myself for, once again, not taking the two minutes of contemplation time before clicking that little button. To make amends, I am going to repeat the response/rant that I gave that trainer, plus the revisions those two minutes of contemplation brought.
Scissor Lifts and Harnesses - Fall Protection or No Protection?
Over the years I have watched while the battle has raged over whether the use of personal fall arrest harnesses by scissor lift operators is appropriate. The rationale on each side of the issue; pro and con, is intelligent, compelling, and complete with opinions from well informed, knowledgeable people.
Mobile Equipment Operator Training Requirements: What Kind of Equipment and Where?
If you are in the occupational safety and health field and have not been living under a rock, in a cave, or on another planet for the past 10 years, you are probably well aware of the number of various training requirements for heavy equipment operators. As an employer who owns this type of equipment, you may not be as aware - but you should be.
"Incorporated by Reference"
Whenever you see or hear the term, "incorporated by reference" used in context with regulations that refer to any number of industry standards, it means that the referenced standard carries as much weight as a regulation. In other words, OSHA can hold you accountable for certain consensus standards that you may not even know of! Read More...
Internal vs. External Operator Training; Which is Best For You?
Like death, taxes, and yet another episode of Survivor, lift equipment operator training is inevitable. Federal and/or state regulatory agencies already mandate training and certification of forklift operators and in some instances, crane operators as well. In addition, training for aerial lift operators is detailed in several ANSI/SIA standards which, in turn, are referenced by OSHA. Training has got to be done, there is simply no choice.
Telehandlers, a Forklift in Name Only
I have never seen a piece of powered mobile equipment become so popular in such a short period of time, as rough terrain variable reach forklifts; otherwise known as telehandlers. In the past ten years, telehandlers have become the darlings of the construction industry, and for good reason.
Training: Just What the Doctor Ordered
If there were a magic potion or pill you could take that could significantly enhance the operational efficiency and financial performance of your business, would you take it?
How Has OSHA Changed (or not changed) The Forklift Industry
Well, it was a long time coming, but on March 15, 1999 it finally arrived. OSHA's new Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training Standard (PITOT) Standard 29 CFR 1910.178(l) brought to business and industry a significant amount of definition, clarity, and in some cases, even relief. For the few that were doing things properly to start with, it didn't cause much of a ripple but for those that weren't; it meant radical and immediate adjustment.