In this Winter 2008 IVES Update Newsletter our feature article is entitled “Finish What You Start” and covers training operators thoroughly and completely. We have an Ask Bob question on observers during practical evaluations, new aerial lift re-qualification materials, accident reports and much more!
Finish What You Start
As any coach in the sporting world will tell you, whether it’s your swing, throw, stroke, or shot; the follow through is every bit as important as the wind-up. In the same vein, any industrial mobile equipment trainer that’s worth their salt will tell you, the job isn’t done until operators have demonstrated competence on the type(s) of equipment they are actually assigned to operate.That, is a trainer’s follow through.
This may not be breaking news to any of you because if you are reading this, chances are you were trained through the IVES Training System™ and confirming an operator’s competence via a documented and specific evaluation process is par for the course. However, I am noticing a rather frightening trend unfolding out there in which seemingly reputable training providers are doing general training and evaluation followed by model specific training and calling it “familiarization” training.
On the surface nothing appears to be lacking by those using this approach as the operator is supposedly getting general training covering the basics, a practical evaluation, then model specific familiarization. However, in drilling down beneath the surface some serious shortcomings with these methods as compared to those of IVES come to light, which are:
- The initial training is too general, in that the number of topics addressed are abbreviated and are not covered to an adequate degree of detail as compared to the IVES program.
- The practical evaluation is often conducted off site using equipment that may or may not be used by the trainee at his or her worksite. Given the amount of variation in the operational design of many forklifts, aerial lifts, loaders and so on, this could pose a potentially significant hazard.
- The familiarization training is left to the employer and/or user to deliver after the training provider completes the general training and evaluation. This is just wrong on a number of levels.
For example:
- Employers and users often do not look past the fact that an operator returns to the worksite with a ticket or certificate of some kind which in their minds qualifies the holder to operate anything, regardless of what it was they were evaluated on. This usually means that the specific training never takes place.
- If model specific training and/or evaluation actually does take place with the returning operator, it is often hastily delivered by unqualified personnel that have no idea of what the operator was trained or how he/she was told to operate the equipment.
I suppose that some training providers are doing things this way because they feel it may bag them more business by appearing to be a quick and cheap method, which are always big selling points with busy contractors and employers; but is it really quicker or cheaper? If I am a contractor and I need to get a bunch of guys trained up on, let’s say an aerial boomlift, here’s the way it would play out.
I would have to round up all of my people that could possibly be directed to operate the unit, or as many of them as I could spare and send them off site for training. They would likely be gone for at least 6-hours, so for all intents and purposes, a full day. When they return the next day, I need to “familiarize” them with the machine(s) they will actually be asked to operate on site. I will also need to bring them up to speed on the local hazards and any site specific rules and company polices related to their job(s).
Now I need to have them evaluated operating the machine they are assigned to because I want it on record that they have demonstrated competence to a qualified person – whether the person to whom the operator demonstrates competence to is qualified to evaluate the demonstration is another issue I need to deal with. All of this training and evaluation after the original program delivered by the training provider is time and money out of my pocket and by now I’m feeling pretty frustrated.
Now, let’s say I got a trainer or trainers qualified through IVES like your company did. Now I’ve got people on staff that can effectively deliver standardized, comprehensive operator training using tried and true training techniques and materials while having access to all the support they need. My in-house IVES Certified Trainers can also tailor the training and evaluations specific to the equipment and conditions found on site so no post program familiarization is necessary with the equipment or the site policies.
When it is all said and done, aside from having well trained and competent operators, I have documented evidence on site that I can produce that shows the operator’s knowledge and skill were tested by a qualified person using a standardized system on a specific type of equipment within the actual working environment. That will keep regulatory and court authorities happy and best of all, I get all of this in one comprehensive and efficient training program – saving me precious time and money.
If I am a trainer, I have the peace of mind that comes with following through with my trainees and ensuring that they not only learned what I taught them but that they were able to show me they could actually do the job… and it’s all documented.
Unlike the general training/familiarization program model, the IVES Training System™ provides employers, trainers and operators everything they need to use and operate mobile equipment in an efficient and cost effective format. Nothing is done half-way or worse, left undone altogether and that is something worth getting familiar with!
Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group
Ask Bob
Dear Bob,
Whenever I do training out at the machine there are always other people who stop to watch. I don’t really mind but it bothers the people I’m training. What should I do?
Hector.
Hello Hector,
Even if you don’t mind people watching, you really should try to get rid of them. Lookie-loos are a distraction to you and your trainees which is a hazard in itself, but they also pose a danger just by being nearby. To be blunt, more pedestrians just means more things to hit with the machine. The most effective thing I’ve found to do to get rid of spectators is to just stop; no entertainment equals no fun and soon, no spectators. However, if that doesn’t do the trick you may have to get more assertive and ask them to leave. As this can be a confrontational event, it is important for you to rely on you skills as a trainer and remember that it’s not just what you say but how you say it. Start by politely indicating that you would prefer them to leave for their own safety and to maintain the quality of instruction for their co-worker. If that doesn’t work, get a supervisor or someone with the authority to move them out, and do not start again until they are gone.
Bob
Seven Minute Evaluation Unacceptable
An Australian forklift assessor (evaluator) was fined $1,579.80 (USD) after being found guilty of conducting fraudulent assessments. The assessor, 40, worked for a private training supplier and was charged with knowingly giving false or misleading information.
An investigation revealed that some evaluations took as “as little as seven minutes,” when they typically take about 50 minutes. Approximately 80 people tested by this assessor were subsequently not issued licenses; afterwards, he resigned as a certified assessor.
The scam was uncovered as part of an ongoing investigation. Another two people were yet to face court on related charges.
Employee’s Unsafe Act Criminal?
An employee in the UK has been prosecuted and fined for actions that placed him in breach of his duty as an individual under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974. The prosecution followed an incident when the man lifted a colleague up approximately 10 – 15 feet in a metal structure balanced on the forks of his forklift truck, in order to repair a loading bay curtain, when the correct lifting equipment was available from the company. The outcome was a fall in which a colleague sustained major injuries. It transpired that the convicted man had received risk assessment training, forklift truck driver training and training which allows him to teach forklift truck driver training to others. These training courses give examples of bad practice, including lifting people up in this manner or on pallets balanced on the forks of forklift trucks to gain access to height. The man pleaded guilty and was fined approximately $1,000 with incurred costs of $500.“An honest evaluation is the most important document to have on file.”
“Follow your training – lawyers play rough!”
What Would YOU Like to See From Us?
As you know, IVES is constantly striving to stay on the leading edge of the industrial mobile equipment training world and as such, we always have a number of product development projects on the go at any given time. The nature and priority of these projects are largely determined by feedback we get from our trainers in the field and of course by you, our valued customers.
With that in mind, have a look at the following projects we have in the pipeline right now and if any of them are of interest to you, let us know which one(s) YOU would like to see available sooner rather than later by going to the following link and completing the online survey.
- Bucket Truck Operator Training materials.
- Excavator Operator Training materials.
- Manually-propelled Aerial Lifts Operator Training materials.
- Digital Training Aids for other equipment.
- Other products and/or services you would like to see.
What’s Your Trainer IQ?
See if you can unscramble the seven mobile equipment training-related words below then use the selected letters to solve the puzzle.
Aerial Lift Operator Re-qualification Materials Now Available
Over the years, many of you have expressed your wishes for materials to retrain aerial boomlift and scissor lift operators, especially since 2006 when the ANSI/SIA A92.5 and A92.6 standards began listing requirements for operator retraining under certain conditions based on observation and evaluation. With that in mind, we are very pleased to be able to offer our newest products, the Aerial Boomlift, Scissor Lift and Aerial Lifts (combined) Operator Re-qualification Study Guides and Notepads. Each of the three study guides are an abbreviated version of the operator reference manual used during the original qualification program. Operators read through each page and fill in the blanks with information they (should) already know as they go. There are also boom, scissor and combination Notepads available each with the required documentation to re-qualify eight operators, as well as useful information on delivering aerial lift operator re-qualification programs. We are sure you will find these new training materials useful and practical.
Name That Operator
What’s in a name? Plenty, when you’re a trainer. Due to popular demand, you can now order name tents with your operator training materials. These handy little accessories are a must for delivering training at sites where you and/or the the trainees are unfamiliar with each other. Calling a person by their name adds a personal touch that goes a long way towards establishing the rapport that is so vital in a trainer/trainee relationship…and it sure beats the heck out of saying “hey you!” Don’t forget to order some for your next operator training program.
New Site in Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah has long been one of IVES’ locations in which our flagship Premium Trainer Certification Programs are offered on an open enrollment basis. We are extremely happy and proud to announce our renewed commitment to the great state of Utah and her surrounding states with our new partner, the Granite County School District.
“Teaming up with Granite County (School District) is a win-win in the truest sense of the term,” says Wendy Wiseman, IVES’ Open Enrollment Program Manager.
“We bring our great reputation and program to the table and our new partners bring their well established administration and management experience of educational facilities on board. It’s a perfect match that our present and future clients will definitely benefit from,” she concluded. The first trainer programs are slated to go the week of January 5, 2009.
Accident Reports
Forklift Operator Crushed To Death
A warehouse worker was crushed to death when a truck pulled away from the dock while the forklift was still operating inside the trailer, the victim was 43-years-old. The worker was unloading pallets from a trailer when the rig began pulling away from the dock area. The forklift, weighing an estimated 4,800 pounds, was close to the edge of the trailer as the truck pulled away. The machine fell to the ground and partially ejected the worker. It rolled on top of the victim, crushing and killing him instantly. An investigating officer said either the trucker should have known the forklift was still back there or someone should have told him it was there. “Somewhere in the chain there was a miscommunication,” an accident investigator said.
[Chocking the trailer wheels as required may have prevented this entirely. – Ed.]
Worker Killed In Power Line Strike
A construction worker was electrocuted when a boom truck contacted an overhead power line. The 18-year-old victim and two other employees were loading a section of pipe, which had been set on the truck bed. While the victim was standing on the ground, near the front of the truck bed strapping it down, the base of the pipe pushed down on the boom control located behind the truck cab causing the boom to rise straight up. The boom contacted an energized 7,620-volt overhead power line allowing the electrical current to travel through the boom to the truck and victim, who died at the scene. The two other workers received electric shock injuries.
[This story just keeps getting re-written with different names. Make sure your operators get the training they need to recognize these deadly electrical hazards. – Ed.]
Business Development Manager Appointed
Gordon Kennedy, who started with IVES in May 2001, has been appointed our new Business Development Manager. Gord learned the ropes in our sales department and quickly moved up the ranks to National Accounts and Custom Training Manager in 2004. As Business Development Manager, Gord’s primary focus is to establish partnerships and relationships with industry associations and agents that will allow IVES to increase the number of out lets to deliver its industry leading open enrollment trainer certification programs. He will also head up any marketing projects related to business development and continue to oversee several key national accounts. Congratulations Gord!
Susan Carlson Takes Over Custom Training
The vacancy left by Gordon Kennedy’s move to business development left quite a void at the key position of Custom Training Program Manager. However, we could think of no one more deserving or qualified to fill that void than our own Susan Carlson.
“Susan has been with IVES since 1996 and has done it all, she literally knows everything from the ground up,” says IVES Director of Training Rob Vetter of Carlson. “I have absolutely no doubt that she will bring the same dedication and sheer ability to her new position as she has always done in the past,” he added. Susan will be handling all aspects of the scheduling and administration for our custom (on-site) training programs.
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