|
|
|
Unit 10 The Old Waterworks,
Brunswick Park Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands , WS10 9QR
Crest Forklift & Mechanical Handling Ltd
Fork Lift Operator Training in Britain.
|
|
|
Unit 10 The Old Waterworks,
Brunswick Park Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands , WS10 9QR
Crest Forklift & Mechanical Handling Ltd
Q. When is the fork lift truck operators' licence awarded?
A. There is no 'fork lift truck operators licence.
| It is a myth that once
a person has passed the fork lift operator's test he or she is awarded a
fork lift truck operators' "licence". In fact there is no such
thing! The passing of the test merely indicates that a person has been on
an approved training course
and has demonstrated the necessary skills needed to operate a fork lift
safely. It is also important to note that training is not complete until
all three stages of training as defined by the Approved Code of Practice
(ACOP) have been covered. These are: Basic
training -
passing the test described on this page,
- Specific job training - defined as knowledge of
the workplace and any special handling attachments, - Familiarisation
training which can be done "on the job" under close supervision.
|
 |
Imagine you are just starting a new job today. Part of that job is to oversee the fork lift truck drivers and operators. It is fair to assume that each one of those people going about their jobs in forklift trucks have indeed attended an approved training course and has demonstrated the necessary skills needed to operate a fork lift safely. Unless you made it your business to find out about your fork lift truck operators, you could continue doing your job without knowing who is a certified fork lift truck operator and who is joy-riding. The truth is - it is your responsibility to ensure that each and every individual have attended an approved training course and has demonstrated the necessary skills needed to operate a fork lift safely. Legally speaking, employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their employees and others. This responsibility is reinforced by regulations, (the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974) and for providing training necessary to ensure the health and safety of employers. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations ( PUWER ) 1998 require employers to ensure that anyone who uses or supervises the use of work equipment such as forklift trucks has received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety, including training in the working methods and precautions to be taken. This also applies to the self-employed. Each year in the UK, there are 8,000 reportable injuries involving lift trucks. A safety policy directorate from the Health and Safety Executive outlines the fact that fork lift truck accidents are frequently associated with lack of suitable operator training. Forklift operator training is an essential first step in reducing damage and injury and should be taken very serously if you wish to avoid massive fines. |
|
Let us look at the case of Austin Brickwork Ltd. The construction firm and one of its directors were fined a total of £60,000 at Southampton Crown Court on March 1st 2003. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the prosecution against Austin Brickwork Ltd and company director Julian Austin, both of Albourne Close, Hungerford, Hants after a forklift truck driven by a company employee knocked down and killed labourer Kevin Moyle, also of Hungerford, on a building site in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on 7 August 2000. HSE's investigation found that the driver had not been trained or tested to operate a forklift truck. Austin Brickwork was fined £40,000 plus £8,799 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSW Act), in that it failed to ensure the safety of employees by not restricting use of the forklift truck to competent staff. Mr Austin was fined £20,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the HSW Act, because he instructed an untrained employee to drive the truck. HSE investigating inspector, Mike Sarson, said: "Mr Moyle's death highlights the need for employers to use only trained and licensed forklift truck drivers. "Any employer, director or manager that allows a person who is untrained to drive workplace machinery increases the risk of an accident, which could result in injury or death." Let's assume that you take responsibility to see all operators' approved training course certficates and are satisfied that despite the fact that they last attended a course three or more years ago - at least they are fully trained. This isn't scare mongering here, it is real - if an accident happened now or in the near future, you can be sure that an inspector from Health and Safety Executive or other official person will use the fact that you have not ensured your forklift operators are genuinely up-to-date in their skills whilst driving the lift vehicle. Whilst there is no legal requirement to re-train your fork lift operators - you still have an obligation under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 ... just for starters! In this age of No Win - No Fee litigation, record damages are being paid out. A perfect example is the case of a warehouse worker who received almost £2.4 million in an out of court settlement after he had an accident at work on the fork lift he was driving. The successful claimant was working for a stationery company in Cwmbran, South Wales when the accident happened. He was driving a lift truck around a sharp corner when it overturned crushing him underneath it. His spine was broken in three places and he is now paralysed from the waist down. He claimed on the basis that he had not received any training on how to drive fork lift trucks and was also left unsupervised at the time of the accident. ... £2.4 million !! We can produce page after page of examples relating to forklift accidents, none of us want to be the subject of any related article and if common sense prevailed, we'd all be booking approved training course right now! Just because one operator has been driving for years, it does not make him more experienced or safer than someone who has been operating fork lifts for only a number of months. It is likely that the forklift truck driver with a number of years under his belt has more bad habits than the novice driver. Existing forklift drivers might find a re-test helpful. The candidate receives an up to date refresher on The Health and Safety at Work Act and reminder of the operator's safety code. A good thing to know - because who knows when an inspector will call? Corrective tuition to eradicate any undesirable or dangerous habits that may have been picked up over the years.. let's face it none of us are perfect. Getting your fork lift to dance along with the very loud music is a big no - no! At the end of shift, does the forklift operator decamp and go home, or carry out pre - shift checks including Battery charging/Refueling ?... a good habit to get into. An excellent idea is to have your Approved Fork Lift Operator Training People create a "Dummy" test environment to establish existing ability and a test on pre-shift checks. Successful candidates are awarded a certificate of basic training which is recognised by the Factory Inspectorate as proof that formal training has been carried out. I use 'Everything Within' as a British search portal and in the main directory is 'Fork Lift Training Services' category which links to www.aes-training.com, founded by Tony Sellick in October 1980 following ten years experience in the fork lift industry at Yale Materials Handling. Many of us are guilty of procuring information on a 'need to know' basis and then all too easily fall foul of the law because we didn't know. The Health & Safety Executive reminded all employers and the self-employed that all mobile work equipment provided for use before 5 December 1998 must be brought into compliance with Part III of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98) by 5 December 2002. Mobile work equipment includes such items as fork-lift trucks, dumpers and tractors. If you are an employer, or are self-employed or if you are in control 'to any extent' of mobile work equipment, this part of PUWER requires you to ensure that it is safe to use by preventing or controlling risks. For new equipment the requirement has been in effect since 5 December 1998. For equipment in use before that date, check with AES -Training how much of the four-year transitional period there is left to go. LOLER and PUWER Training course are available from AES Training and cover; The Health and Safety at Work Act, European directives on Health and Safety The main requirements of LOLER ( Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations ) include: Installing lifting equipment, Equipment that comes under the scope of the regulations, Inspection and testing of equipment, Duties of hirers of equipment, Record keeping, Training of operators of such equipment The main requirements of PUWER ( Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations ) include: Maintenance of equipment, Isolation switches, Permit to work systems, Record keeping, Training of operators of such equipment, Miscellaneous items such as ventilation, location of equipment etc., The tie up with other regulations such as COSHH. Successful candidates are awarded a certificate of training which is recognised by the Factory Inspectorate as proof that formal training has been carried out The Health and Safety Executive say the main risks involved in the use of mobile work equipment are from being struck by the vehicle, the equipment rolling over, the driver or passengers falling from the vehicle or being struck by falling objects, unauthorised start up of the vehicle, inadequate devices for braking and stopping, and restricted driver visibility.
Part III of PUWER addresses these risks by requiring dutyholders to take measures to ensure that the equipment is safe to use. These measures can include, for example, the retro-fitting of roll-over protective structures (ROPS), falling object protective structures (FOPS), seat restraints (seat belts, lap belts, etc) and driver visibility aids such as mirrors. Timothy Walker, HSE's Director General, said: "Unsafe mobile
work equipment is responsible for a large number of deaths and injuries
every year. Last year alone, three people were killed and 67 injured
when struck by fork-lift trucks. We are committed to improving the safety
of mobile work equipment and the coming into effect of Part III of PUWER
98 to all mobile work equipment is an essential part of this process."
|
|
|
|
|
Average health and safety fines up by over a third - but penalties still need to be tougher, warns HSC Chairman The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published its Offences and Penalties Report for 2001/02, which identifies almost 900 companies, organisations and individuals convicted of health and safety offences during 2001/2002. Of the 1,064 cases prosecuted by the HSE, more than 84 per cent resulted in conviction. The average fine for health and safety cases across Great Britain increased by 39 per cent, from £8,790 in 2000/01 to £12,194 in 2001/02. This rise is mainly due to a marked increase in penalties handed down by the higher courts, where fines are unlimited. The lower court average fine is almost unchanged.
Health and Safety Commission (HSC) Chair Bill Callaghan said: "Health and safety offences are serious crimes. They can cause extreme pain and grief to the victims and their families and it is vital that the level of fines reflects this. While I would prefer not to see incidents and injuries happen in the first place, I am very encouraged to see that the average level of fines in 2001/02 rose by nearly 40 per cent. This sends out a strong message to the small minority of employers who do not take their health and safety responsibilities seriously". "HSE's policy
has been to publish details of all convicted health and safety offenders
on its prosecutions database. Corporate reputation is an increasingly
important business issue - and customers, investors and insurers are
more than ever before taking notice of an organizations health and safety
performance. We make no apologies for encouraging them to sit up when
that performance falls well short of what the law requires." Commenting
on the report, HSE's Director General Timothy Walker said: Clearly, no matter how good your present safety record is and no matter how good your fork lift truck drivers are - accidents happen and at least if your drivers are up to date with new certificate indicating that the holder has been on an approved training course and has demonstrated the necessary skills needed to operate a fork lift safely - it proves that you, the employer has taken your responsibility to health and safety very seriously.For a list of acronyms relating health and safety and fork lift trucks please click the link. 8" (200mm) |
|
|
News Release By
Peter Yexley
Tel: 01707 646457 |
