Not long ago, I was evaluating some forklift drivers at a customer location. Most of the operators were highly skilled, and I had no problem finding them competent to operate the lifts and certifying them for their environment.
However, a few complained about the difficulty of some activities I asked them to perform in the ‘hands on’ evaluation phase. They made comments like, ‘I don’t usually lift items that high,’ or ‘I don’t often have to load a trailer,’ or ‘I never have to drive in reverse!’
They also indicated that the last time they were evaluated, the previous trainer exempted them from performing these more difficult tasks.
This last complaint provoked several thoughts in me. The first was that they might have to perform these kinds of tasks at some future time when no one else was available to do them, or they might need to be able to do these activities if they are transferred to a different work area.
The second thought was that we don’t offer ‘junior’ forklift permits for operators who only have to drive forward or move material in just the first two layers of a storage rack.
When surveying a customer work site, we look at the basic skills an operator must possess, including ability and proficiency to perform tasks on a timely basis. Taking 20 minutes to stack a pallet may be okay at some businesses, but it would never cut it in a high cycle environment.
The trainer must look at the demands that will be put on a specific operator, for a certain type of forklift, and in a specific application — and then determine if the operator can perform at that level. If he cannot perform at that level, the answer to getting him ‘up to speed’ is supervised practice operation. For some operators, it may take hours; for others, it may take weeks.
There is no ‘instant’ forklift operator, no matter how badly the production department would like to have him up and running. And rushing the training process can spell disaster for the operator or a co-worker.
Trainers need to take their jobs seriously and look at the operator’s skills, not their personality or other factors. Sliding everyone through a training program, no matter what their skill level, is a thing of the past. For safety’s sake, don’t continue that kind of approach.
My advice to trainers is to train people thoroughly, invest time in getting them up to speed, and then expect a certain level of proficiency before handing them the keys.
(David Hoover is president of Forklift Training Systems. For more information on this or other topics related to forklift training, safety or products, contact David at (740) 763-4978, e-mail dhoover@forklifttrainingsystem.com, or visit his company’s Web site at www.forklifttrainingsystem.com.)
