Forklift Training Guelph
In this article, we will discuss the forklift training Guelph, courses ForkliftHub provides for the growing Guelph region. ForkliftHub has been keeping people safe across Ontario for 20 years. We specialize in providing training to experienced individuals or groups who wish to enhance their current skills and to those who are new and need to obtain certification for a new career. We are a reliable and reputable company that sets high standards and offers superior training. We strive every day to provide our customers with excellence. If you are interested in forklift training,
Guelph, Ontario
Is ranked fourth alongside Canada’s largest cities as a top place to do business and also ranked third in Canada for entrepreneurial perspective and tenth for entrepreneurial presence. Guelph is a prosperous innovative business community with business ownership growth that reflects new future business growth. The Winter 2018 Outlook report states that Guelph’s economy has performed strongly in recent years and is expected to continue to grow above the provincial pace for both 2018 and 2019. This is proof that Guelph is a great place for businesses looking to open or expand in Ontario and people are taking notice.
Guelph is proud of its diverse and stable economy. The Guelph area is attractive not only to Advanced Manufacturing companies but also to Agri-food and Innovation firms, Environmental Management and Technology companies and Tourism Operators. It is these five facets of the local economy that have been identified in Guelph’s Economic Development Strategy as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities. In Guelph-Wellington, there are more than 90 companies employing approximately 6,500 people in this sector. This includes:
government
education
biotechnology
agri-food technology
agricultural supply
equipment
food processing
associations
research
marketing
other services
Key Aspects of Training
Whether you need forklift training, a forklift, or to speak to a service advisor, the services we offer will help your company on the road to success! As business develops in the town of Guelph it is necessary for our business to provide forklifts, material handling equipment, and forklift training for their facilities. It is important to provide proper training to all employees who operate forklifts because a forklift is a powerful tool. It allows the movement and storage of products and materials efficiently and safely, however, accidents could nevertheless occur when operating a forklift. It has been found that most of the forklift accidents occur as a result of driver error. Having properly certified and trained operators on board becomes mandatory for business owners. Like any vehicle, there are rules and regulations that come with operating a forklift. Below are key forklift training points:
1. Safety
One of the most important issues that must be addressed is workplace safety training for forklift operators. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) statistics indicate that there are roughly 85 forklift fatalities and 34,900 serious injuries each year, with 42 percent of the forklift fatalities from the operator’s being crushed by a tipping vehicle. Safety begins with proper forklift training. Because of this, OSHA requires training programs to combine formal instruction, such as lectures and written material, with practical training and a workplace performance evaluation. Forklift training reduces workplace injuries, and deaths and raises awareness of hazards to the workers and others.
Not only is forklift safety training for the forklift operator but also for individuals who will work in the same area as those forklifts. Both need to know safety procedures to avoid causing or being involved in an accident. One of the major causes of work-related accidents happens when a load falls onto another worker. If both the driver and the worker had been trained to clear the area, then the injury would not have occurred. ForkliftHub’s number one priority is to ensure a safer workplace and provide your company with due diligence in your safety procedures. The combination of forklifts and workers on foot is a deadly one—usually for the worker on foot.
Business owners that use forklifts also play a big role in safety. A poor workplace design with narrow aisles, improper stocking methods, high foot traffic, excessive noise and too heavy of loads can affect the safety of your workers and contribute to the hazardous use of the forklift. Creating a workplace that is well-organized, safe and fully functional will ensure that employees can complete their roles correctly and safely.
Spend a little extra time practicing safety measures around forklifts to help keep employees safe and the business functioning at its optimal level!
2.Know the Machinery- and the Rules
Forklift technology has advanced a lot and knowing one forklift does not mean the rest are all the same. Having a clear understanding of the forklift’s load capacity is crucial. Workers with an inadequate knowledge of a forklift’s load capacity are placing themselves and those around them at serious risk. As more forklift options and attachments become available, it increases the risk of not using your forklift properly and causes accidents and injury. Understanding and knowing your forklift will increase the level of safety within your workplace. Different brands or models function differently. Components such as pedals, switches, and steering can vary from one type of forklift to the next. In addition, workplace conditions like rough surfaces, obstructions and closed environments can present hazardous conditions that make it critical for operators to get proper safety training. Businesses should create a forklift safety program by training their employees to have a clear understanding of their machine and the proper process and procedure for operating it. If you are struggling to know your forklift truck, please contact us for an informal chat with one of our friendly experts.
Here are a few tips on how to get to know your machine:
always read the capacity plate on your machine
identify any attachments and the down-rated capacity
be aware of your forklift and the loads you are handling; know your limits
different weight, size and height will affect how high or low you can lift your load
the higher you lift your load in the air, the farther the capacity of your forklift to fall
various attachments will lower your total capacity allowed
Your employees still have to deal with many risks even if you run the safest warehouse in the world. Risks could be related to equipment failures due to lack of maintenance. You should always listen to the manufacturer’s service guidelines to prevent unfortunate accidents. Here at ForkliftHub, we offer a pre-operational checklist which needs to be done prior to every shift for extra safety. In addition, a record of the forklift inspection must be kept on file to stay compliant with CSA B335-04 Section 6.8. Compliance with this by-law is required in order to renew your forklift certification every 3 years, but it may be a good option to refresh your operators sooner. Operators tend to get a little lackadaisical over time and accidents therefore tend to happen more often.
3. Awareness
Don’t Be Distracted: When you’re distracted you’re not paying full attention to your task and when the task is operating heavy machinery; distraction can be fatal. It takes less than a second for an accident to happen. If you are operating a forklift it is imperative that you avoid distractions. That means not looking at paperwork, daydreaming about what you are going to do after work, using your cell phone, or being focused on what your co-workers are looking at behind you. Keep your focus.
Watch Out for Pedestrians: A forklift operator is responsible for operating in a safe manner; this includes avoiding all pedestrians in the work area. Pedestrians use the same roadway and you will learn at our forklift training course that pedestrians may not always be watching out for your forklift. Pedestrians may not understand that forklifts have rear steering and their visibility is restricted. Workplace safety always requires some thinking ahead; one has to imagine all of the “What ifs?”
Purchase Safety Products: For companies that care about their employees and are passionate about providing a safe workplace, ForklitfHub has safety products such as warning lights, alarms, mirrors, backup handles, and more. The best effective traffic management is to make guarded pedestrian zones to reduce forklift accidents between forklifts and pedestrians. Our comprehensive line of products is developed and manufactured to deliver the highest standards of safety and protection. It is also important to receive basic awareness training for non-operators such as visitors, office staff or salespeople who may venture into the warehouse or yard.
Let’s look at ways facilities can improve safety for pedestrians around forklifts:
wear bright clothes
provide safety training for both operators and pedestrians
utilize sensor mirrors, warning spotlights, and horns
light up and keep aisles clear
create a safe walkway for pedestrians
check your warehouse for overall safety
Pedestrian safety is just as important as operator safety.
Why Wayco Provides the Best Training
Training and pedestrian safety around forklift operators should be a three-tiered approach. First for management, which is responsible for the larger picture of training, plant design, staff, and safety equipment. Second for the forklift operator who may encounter pedestrians, and finally training for pedestrians. At Wayco, we strive continuously to improve and train our operators and pedestrians on the newest processes and procedures. Many people and businesses are still unaware or turn a blind eye to this growing issue, and both employees and employers must take responsibility to make workplaces safer.
Forklift operator and pedestrian evaluation is a key aspect of our training here at ForkliftHub. Our qualified instructor's training policy determines if the operator has fulfilled the requirements to ensure compliance with all the safety requirements and is competent to operate a forklift. OSHA standards do not mention how an operator gets assessed, so our excellent instructors at ForkliftHub have established their own assessments to make sure that we comply with OSHA policy. This means we need to determine the areas where operators are lacking skill and we need to find where they frequently commit mistakes and errors to make them a more competent operator, one who is fully aware of pedestrians. Here are a few key points that our experienced trainer uses to evaluate the operator above the standard requirements:
Operator Behavior – Operator behaviour is important when driving forklift trucks in the workplace. An unruly operator can influence other workers. If one operator is a bad apple; it can spoil the whole bunch as well. Their bad habits may rub off on others.
Safety – Training at your facility, our qualified instructor is to give you clear advice on your workplace safety design. Our qualified trainers are passionate and committed to educating forklift operators in the correct and safe driving practices. They will also ensure that driver have the knowledge and understanding of how important it is to work safely each day in order to go home to their families.
Forklift Pre-Use Inspection – Our trainer will make sure you follow many aspects of forklift operation such as doing a daily checklist, recording the findings, reporting the findings to your superior, and even troubleshooting any lift truck problems. A good operator will look for possible defects and damage prior to operation.
Loading Material – Our qualified trainer will teach you about the standard terms such as center of gravity, weight, balance, and stability triangle, but will also go above the standards. Most operators do not know that when loading, they need to make sure that nobody is near the load. Many people do not realize the danger this entails. Toppling down of the load could happen, crushing someone near the load.
When Traveling – A good operator observes traffic and pedestrian rules. Warning signs are a great tool for different key areas in the workplace to follow by all.
We believe safety comes first and very much look forward to keeping your visitors, employees and operators safe around your forklifts
Why Businesses Need to Train Their Employees
For many employees, the workplace has become a second home, due to the amount of time people spend at work. Their safety is important and employers and employees alike should take safety seriously. Today companies have become very conscious of liability issues, fines, insurance premiums soaring, workers’ compensation claims, legal fees and the Ministry of labour enforcing its guidelines. If workers and not taught the right way of operating forklifts someone can lose their life. Proper safety makes a big difference for both the employer and the employee because they both win. The positive benefit for the employer is a rise in productivity, fewer staff absences, less staff turnover and an improved quality of work. On the other hand, employees will appreciate their safe work environment, they will become more engaged and actively contribute to the team. Human life is priceless. Forklift Safety needs to be an important priority at a workplace and Wayco can help make this happen.
OSHA statistics indicate that there are roughly 85 forklift fatalities and 34,900 serious injuries each year, with 42 percent of the forklift fatalities coming from the operator being crushed by a tipping vehicle. Safety begins with proper forklift training. OSHA requires training programs to combine formal instruction, such as lectures and written material, with practical training and a workplace performance evaluation. Forklift training reduces workplace injuries, and deaths and raises awareness of hazards to the worker and others.
OSHA spells out the OSHA forklift certification requirements for employee forklift training in 1910.178(l) in the standard, OHSA R.R.O. 1990, Reg 851. This standard requires employers to develop and implement a forklift operator training program. OSHA states that no worker shall operate a lifting device, mobile equipment, vehicle or powered machine, tool, or equipment unless he or she is competent to do so.
OSHA requires that the forklift training program be based on:
General principles of safe forklift operation
The type of vehicles being used (the training requirements are actually for “powered industrial trucks” which include forklifts but also other types of vehicles)
Hazards created by the use of the forklift in the workplace
The general safety requirements of the OSHA-powered industrial truck/forklift standard
It’s the right thing to do. Employers want to send their workers home in the same condition they came in.
Operating a forklift requires training and certification to ensure safety in the workplace and helps the employer comply with the law. Working safely should always be a top priority. If you are looking for expert forklift training, contact the professionals at Wayco.
