How to Get a Forklift Operator to Take Certification Seriously

Our brains are remarkably good at tuning out all sorts of repetitive information. When we were kids and Mom would ask over and over again to ‘clean your room’, you blocked it out, you never heard her say a word. Unless of course there was an ice cream reward.

As an adult, that skill didn’t go away, we continue to use it. We’ve heard over and over the importance of safety in the workplace. We’ve been told numerous times from OSHA how many people get hurt and killed on a forklift. But we tune it out.

Forklift Training Certification: It’s Important to You & Your Company

When companies have employee turnover, it’s hard to stress the importance of forklift safety over and over again. We dilute our own message. Yes, we can show videos of product falling from the top shelf of the racking system, or a forklift driver jumping out of his forklift to avoid getting hurt. Most forklift operators new and experienced will laugh a little, or one side of their mouth goes up to a smirk.

Let’s show them instead:

• Have them observe how workers and pedestrians walk around the facility. Even if you have designated walkways for pedestrians, let the see for themselves how often that rule is broken. 
• Show them workman’s comp bills
• Show e-mails of unhappy customers expressing their dissatisfaction for damaged product
• Have maintenance come in and show where in the facility walls have been hit, equipment damaged, racks knocked over and more.

Now that you have their attention, this is a perfect time to reinforce the message of reducing the risk of injury, pedestrian accidents, loss of product, and damage to the facility. Some companies offer an incentive for following and achieving forklift safety.

Forklift Training and Operator Certification

Begin by determining what type of forklift certification the forklift operator needs. There are various classes of forklifts. The most popular Forklift Operator Certification is the Class 1, Class 4 and Class 5 which include:

CLASS 1

CLASS 4

CLASS 5

As SIERA.AI is a forklift safety systems company, we offer this specialized training ensuring your forklift operator understands the importance of training and the various techniques for ensuring safety in the workplace.

Forklift Training Certification: Learn It, See It…See It, Learn It

As the forklift operator studies for his exam, reinforce what you’ve already showed the worker, and fill areas that you can demonstrate at your facility. Using as many of the senses as possible (hearing, seeing and touching) the operator will better remember the forklift safety lessons.

Once your forklift operator takes the exam online and passes, now the driver is ready to go for hands-on training. Because you’ve taken the time to show the reality of it at your own facility, hands-on training will be more powerful and the final evaluation by the instructor will go smoothly.

Let’s Not Stop There…

As busy schedules get even crazier, we sometimes lose sight of what’s important. By setting up regular Lunch & Learns, you can have a forklift operator each month focus on an aspect of safety in their job. Here are some great topics to discuss:

• Share a situation they encountered and discuss how the driver overcame it
• Introduce new technologies for safety in the workplace, such as the S3 Pedestrian Detection or Impact Monitoring, or Electronic Checklist by SIERA.AI.
• Demonstrate new or improved ways for driving into a trailer, narrow aisles or work with specialty attachments

We’re here to help keep your facility operations safe and secure. Contact us today to get started on your worker’s forklift operator certification. Don’t forget to also explore the S2 and S3 safety systems.