Counterbalance lift truck Training
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA require that anybody utilizing a counterbalanced lift truck receive classroom or lecture style training. They additionally require that a periodic refresher training as well as a supervised driving course is finished. There is no required minimum time for the classroom training or supervised driving. Additionally, there is no frequency mandated for the refresher training either.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
A counterbalanced forklift balances its load with the weight of the truck. The forks on a lift truck are in a fixed position; they go up and down and do not turn. The forks run parallel to the forklift's body. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration require that individuals who will be operating counterbalanced forklifts on the job be trained on the trucks while being in the kind of setting which they would be utilizing them.
Classroom Training
Training either lecture style or in a classroom will offer forklift and driver information for the truck you will be operating. Most training will include certain aspects such as the load and weight capacity, height, how to fuel or charge the lift truck. It covers how to gauge the time on the engine as well as any forklift specific safety information like for example where to stand when walking around the truck. Either oral and/or written testing is part of the classroom training. There is no minimum time requirement for the training.
Supervised Driving
The driver of a forklift will have to learn to operate the machinery while being supervised. The supervised driving has to take place in an environment which resembles the present environment that the driver works in. This atmosphere should include the type of terrain she will be traveling on, have the same vehicle and pedestrian traffic nearby, and the same surrounding structures close by too. There is no specific minimum number of hours the driver has to drive while being supervised.