Employers are not required to repeat past training of a new operator according to lift truck rules. Training however needs to be supplemented so as to address specific workplace hazards and specific workplace machinery. For instance, an operator doesn't have to be trained in order to maneuver a lift truck on a ramp if that work place does not have a ramp; then again, if the operator is really assigned to work someplace which has a ramp, it is essential that extra training must be offered.
Trainees are just allowed to use forklifts under direct supervision of only people who have the necessary knowledge and training to train and assess the trainees competence on the forklift. The trainees can just learn in a setting where such operation does not endanger the trainee themselves or other workers.
Making a practical evaluation within the workplace is also vital. If a third party training provider is chosen, it is better to have the training happen at the workplace, using lift trucks at the workplace to be as accurate as possible.
An operator is said to be qualified once they have successfully passed the training with records maintained by the employer. The certification has to contain the training date, the name of the operator, and the name of the individual performing the training and evaluation and finally the evaluation date. Though some state OSHA bodies need the issue of an operator's certificate, the Federal OSHA does not require it.
Every three years, refresher training is necessary. It could also become mandatory to those operators who have shown some kind of deficiency in safe lift truck use. For example, refresher training will be triggered by some instances like: if a different type of lift truck is introduced to the workplace, if there is an accident or a near miss, if an operator received a poor 3 year evaluation and if a supervisor observes operating unsafely.
It has to be noted that refresher training is not always the solution when unsafe use is noticed. Like for example, if an operator is willfully disobeying workplace safety regulations, it may be necessary to implement disciplinary action. And last but not least, though training lift truck operators is a requirement, it is vital to practice lift truck awareness training for pedestrians and other staff working in the vicinity of forklifts so as to make sure that everybody stays safe.