About Forklift Operator Certification

OSHA requirements

Forklift operators are typically certified to operate lift trucks by their employers, though in some cases they are certified by a third-party vendor, such as an industrial truck school. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires classroom or lecture-style training in addition to supervised driving instruction for forklift operator certification.

Classroom Training

Forklift operators must first receive classroom or lecture-style training in order to receive their certification. Since forklifts vary greatly, instruction includes information about the type of lift truck the driver will be operating in the workplace. OSHA does not put a minimum time requirement on classroom training, but oral and written examinations can be part of this training.

Supervised Driving

Forklift operators must be trained to drive the forklifts they will be driving in the workplace, in an environment similar to their workplace environment, under the supervision of a trainer or instructor. This means if an operator is to drive a Class I (electric motor rider) forklift, the supervised training must take place on a Class I lift truck, and it must take place in the same conditions (terrain, structures and pedestrian and vehicle traffic) as those in the workplace.

Certification and Transferability

The forklift operator may be certified when the supervising trainer decides he can safely operate the vehicle in the proper environment. Since lift trucks vary and work environments change from place to place, the operator must receive a new certification when he moves to a new job. Since the operator has already been trained once, the training is likely to go more quickly the second time and each subsequent time he is trained.

Refresher Training

OSHA requires forklift operators to periodically receive refresher training. The agency does not specify a frequency for the refresher training, nor does it specify the content of the training, but the dates of refresher training must be noted on a forklift operator's document certifying she has completed training. The certificate is kept in the operator's personnel file and must be made available for OSHA inspection.

Exceptions

A forklift operator does not need to be certified if he is operating a Class VI (tow tractor) or Class VII (rough terrain) lift truck in a purely agricultural environment. If he is operating one of these forklifts in an industrial, construction, forestry, logging, warehouse or other environment, he does need to undergo certification training.

References

• OSHA: Powered Industrial Truck Regulations