Ives Update NewsLetter

We have revised the format and some of the content of our forklift operator Study Guides to match similar changes we made to the MEWP Study Guides in the fall of 2019. The content changes made to each of the Study Guides are relatively minor and were affected mainly to adjust the information to be more specific to the various types of equipment each of them addresses.

The more significant change is to the format of the Study Guides. In the past, you (the trainer) would typically lead operators through a page by page review of the guide while the operators filled in the blanks whereas now, operators are given a choice and asked to circle the correct one. Here’s an example:

Previous format:
The ­­­________________ is required to perform a pre-use inspection and immediately report any problems.

    
Revised format:
The (operator / supervisor) is required to perform a pre-use inspection and immediately report any problems.

Although at first glance it does not seem like a particularly significant change, the improvement in how efficiently the material can be covered is very significant for several reasons. First, operators are not required to write anything and instead, are asked to indicate which answer they choose, which you help them to do. This may not seem like much but if your experience is anything like ours, you will agree that asking people to write things down can be quite problematic. Next, since alternative answers to each question are provided rather than just a blank space, operators need only consider the two alternatives given in selecting the right answer rather the many potential alternatives that may come to mind when asked to fill in a blank.    
  
Another significant development we’ve made to the forklift requalification materials is to the Notepad, the publication that contains all the relevant documents for conducting the programs such as final written theory tests and practical evaluation forms, among others. In particular, the Operator Requalification Theory Test has gone from a single, generic test applicable to all forklifts, to multiple specific ones applicable to counterbalanced, narrow aisle and rough terrain forklifts as well as powered pallet trucks respectively. In effect, what was one generic forklift Notepad is now four specific Notepads.

We think you'll agree that the revisions made to the forklift operator requalification materials are improvements that enhance their effectiveness and the efficiency in which they can be reviewed.

For a more complete review of each of the items involved, go to our website and check out the New Operator Requalification Materials Orientation Videos we have posted in the Downloadable Materials & Updates section of your Member Dashboard.

Also, be sure to download the new lesson plan we’ve developed for use with the revised materials while delivering operator requalification programs.

Some revisions to the wording and imagery addressing the stability pyramid on page 52 of the Rough Terrain Operator Reference Manual (ORM) have been made. The revised wording and imagery enhance the information making it more descriptive of, and appropriate for, telehandlers. No changes to the ORM quiz questions or the operator theory test were made.

The New ANSI Standards that took effect June 1, 2020 contain a requirement to retrain MEWP operators based on monitoring and evaluation of them performed by a qualified person on a "regular basis." There is certainly nothing new about this requirement in and of itself. Previous versions of the standards also contained wording to retrain operators, "if necessary, based on the user's observation and evaluation of the operator," for many years.

However, what is new is that current standards list several criteria that serve as defining triggers to initiate operator retraining. These include:

a) expiration of the operator's valid training period;
b) deterioration of the operator's performance;
c) the operator's extended period of time with no operation of a MEWP;
d) the operator's introduction to new or significantly different MEWP technology;
e) the operator has been involved in an accident or near miss with the MEWP.

As welcome and sorely needed as these defining criteria are, further definition to two of them is still required. Specifically, the inclusion of defined time intervals for the operator’s valid training period at a), and the extended period of time with no operation at c).

In situations like this where users are left to define the undefined, a good starting point is to look to other recognized industry standards with similar requirements that may offer more definitive information. In this case they don’t have to look too far as the Canadian counterpart to ANSI A92.24, the standard that contains the criteria listed above, is CSA B354.8 which itself is based on the international standard, ISO 18878. Both the CSA and ISO standards specify that a MEWP operator’s valid training period “shall not exceed 5 years.” To be clear, the language does not call for the valid training period to be 5 years but that it shall not exceed 5 years, and 5 years is a long time. Maybe too long?

Perhaps a more appropriate time period would be 3 years, as required by the OSHA powered industrial truck (PIT) or, forklift operator training standard 1910.178(l). This standard has been in place in the US since 1999 and appears to be reasonably effective. Additionally, nearly all Canadian CSA B335 forklift operator training standards also specify a 3-year time interval for operator retraining and since most companies that use MEWPs also use forklifts, it may be more efficient to place MEWP operator retraining within the same 3-year cycle applicable to forklift operators. In any case, solid guidance on defining the valid training period of MEWP operators required by ANSI standards is close at hand and remember that users are free to retrain operators at time intervals shorter than those prescribed, they just can’t exceed them.

When it comes to defining the ‘extended period of time with no operation,’ solid guidance, or any guidance at all, is hard to come by. The relative CSA MEWP standards contain no such requirement and since it is a somewhat uncommon one, users of MEWPs under ANSI jurisdiction must decide on a suitable time interval based on the specifics involved relative to the types of equipment used, operating environments, tasks performed and the personnel utilized. For example, operators using various types of more complex MEWPs on very active worksites with high vehicle/pedestrian traffic, rough ground conditions should probably not be inactive for more than say, 6 months without some retraining. However, operators in relatively low activity worksites using the same equipment within the same environment to perform similar day to day tasks could remain inactive for a year before retraining.

Regardless of which time intervals you go with for general retraining or between periods of operational inactivity, keep in mind that more frequent is better than less frequent and that constant, regular monitoring and evaluation is required on an ongoing basis. If you keep on top of that and train as required, you will likely end up on the right side of the safety equation.

One of the most significant developments within the new ANSI MEWP standards is the requirement for supervisors of MEWP operators to receive formal training in the topics listed below per ANSI A92.24:
 
• The proper selection of the correct MEWP for the work to be performed.
• The rules, regulations and standards that apply to MEWPs, including the provisions for safe use, training and familiarization and for the work being performed.
• Potential hazards associated with the use of MEWPs and the means to protect against identified hazards.
• The proper location and storage of the MEWP manufacturer’s operation manuals.
At first glance, complying with the requirements above may seem simple but considering how deep one could drill down on any of them, particularly the first three, there’s a lot to know.

Attendees of this online program will receive all kinds of useful information intended to boost the knowledge and greatly enhance the ability of those charged with supervising MEWP operations to effectively plan, implement and monitor them.

The program duration is about two hours and is followed by a quiz. Successful completion of the quiz permits attendees to print a certificate as proof of program completion and access to a single viewing of each of our MEWP introduction videos.

MEWP Support Documents that will help in the development of safe use and rescue plans as well as the ongoing monitoring of safe MEWP operations are also made available from the Downloadable Materials & Updates section of the IVES website.

This program is available for companies that use the IVES Training System™. Program Fee: $70.00

As of June 1 of this year, all MEWP new and existing operators must be trained in compliance with ANSI A92.2 operator training standards. To make sure your new operators get the right training , and that your existing operators get properly retrained and updated, you MEWP trainers out there definitely need to take our MEWP Trainer Update program!   

This program is designed to update the knowledge of existing IVES Certified Trainers with aerial boomlift and/or scissor lift (now referred to as mobile elevating work platforms or MEWPs) operator training credentials. Program attendees will receive information concerning the requirements around MEWP design, inspection, safe use, operator training and more, all in accordance with new ANSI A92 and CSA B354 MEWP industry standards. The program duration is about one hour and is followed by a quiz. Upon successful completion of the quiz, attendees may print a certificate to retain as documentation of program completion. This program does not extend the expiry date of trainer credentials and is available free of charge to existing IVES Certified Trainers with current, non-expired MEWP trainer credentials.

Until further notice, please be aware that the sale of our die cast aerial boomlift models is temporarily discontinued due to challenges in finding a reliable source from which to acquire them. This means the availability of this popular training aid both individually and as part of our Aerial Boomlift and MEWP Trainer Power Packs is suspended while we work toward a long term solution.

In these trying times when physical distancing is a front and center safety and health issue, IVES is very happy to announce the arrival of our Integrated Operator training Programs. These are online forklift, MEWP and skid-steer loader operator theory training and testing programs delivered online in a live, instructor-led format. 

Companies with a current IVES Certified Trainer can take advantage of this exciting new offering by contacting us to purchase an Integrated Operator Training Program for up to 10 operator trainees. Click here to learn more and request a quote!

Question:

Hi Bob,
I’ve been a forklift trainer for 6 years using the Ives books for training all the counterbalanced operators. I recently went through an Upgrade for rough terrain forklift and found out a lot of my people that I trained using the counterbalanced book were actually driving vertical mast rough terrain machines. Should I have been using the rough terrain book for all those vertical mast operators all along? Do I need to go back and redo them all using the RT book?
 
Thanks, Alberto.

Answer:

Hello Alberto,
No you don’t. If you used the counterbalanced forklift Operator Reference Manual to train vertical mast rough terrain operators that’s fine. In fact, for operators that only drive vertical mast, I would suggest you keep using the counterbalanced ORM and just use the Rough Terrain ORM for operators of variable reach telehandlers. There will probably be a few things not in the book that you will need to address out at the machine during the hands-on training, but that’s something that should be happening anyway. If you have operators that use both types of RT forklifts, use the RT ORM for them as well.
 
Hope this helps.

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