In this article, we set out to explain how to operate a forklift. If you’ve been wanting to learn how to drive a forklift, then this is a great starting point for you.

You’ll learn valuable and helpful information in this article, but please know that you won’t know how to drive a forklift safely just as a result of reading this article. That takes more extensive forklift operator training, including demonstrations from a skilled instructor, practice forklift operation by you, and a forklift operator skill demonstration evaluated by your instructor.

But, as we said, if you’re looking for a great and helpful 101-level introduction of how to operate a forklift, then you’re in the right place.

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According to an OSHA Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts) eTool:

Only trained and competent operators shall be permitted to operate a powered industrial truck.

But what are the OSHA forklift training requirements? When is a person eligible for an OSHA forklift certification?

We explain everything you need to know about OSHA forklift training in this article. So if you want to know the OSHA forklift certification requirements, strap on your seat belt and spend the next couple of minutes with us.

PLUS, if you scroll to the bottom of this article, you’ll see a big black download button that you can use to download four forklift inspection and refueling/recharging checklists. All for free. What a bargain! 

To be clear before you begin, OSHA DOES NOT give out forklift certifications. However, OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks standard (29 CFR 1910.178) DOES explain the minimum requirements employers must meet in setting up the training requirements that their employees who operate forklfits and other PITs must meet.

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Need to know how to get a forklift license?

In this article, we spell out everything you need to know about getting a forklift operator’s license. We’ll keep it short and to the point, we promise.

Enjoy the article and good luck

PLUS, as an added bonus, there’s a big black download button at the bottom of this article that you give click to download four forklift inspection and refueling/recharging checklists. If you’re a safety manager at work, you know how great this is. If you’re not, download the checklists anyway, give them to your safety manager, and make his or her day.

To be clear before you begin, OSHA DOES NOT give out forklift certifications or licenses. However, OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks standard (29 CFR 1910.178) DOES explain the minimum requirements employers must meet in setting up the training requirements that their employees who operate forklfits and other PITs must meet.

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If you want a workplace that’s healthier and safer,  health and safety management systems are key.

Here’s how OSHA puts it in their Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs:

Establishing a safety and health program in your workplace is one of the most effective ways of protecting your most valuable asset: your workers.

And here’s how ANSI Z10, the national standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, puts it:

There is widespread agreement that the use of management systems can improve organizational performance, including performance in the occupational health and safety arena.

In this article, we’ll explain what a health and safety management system is, list the key elements of a health and safety management system, give you tips for getting a health and safety system in place at your work, and provide some additional helpful resources.

This article draws recommendations, tips, suggestions, guidelines, and quotes from the ANSI Z10 safety management standard and from OSHA’s safety management guidelines. You may also be interested in this article that lists and explains several different safety management guidelines and standards.

Plus, feel free to download our free Getting Started with Safety Management infographic, too.

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In this article, we’ve pulled together a series of forklift safety tips for forklift operators. Putting these forklift safety tips into action should help your company reduce risks associated with forklift operation.

As you’ll see, some of the most important things you can do are to ensure that all employees receive proper forklift safety training, make sure all forklift are in proper operating condition through regular inspections and maintenance, and perform workplace hazard assessments to ensure a workplace that reduces forklift-associated hazards.

To help with this, we’ve included some helpful checklists at the bottom for performing forklift inspections and recording fuel use/battery charging on forklifts.

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Management review of an OHSMS, or Occupational Health and Safety Management System, is an important aspect of safety management. In this article, we’ll give you tips for performing management reviews on a timely and recurrent basis and in an effective manner.

This article is the last of a multi-article series on the issue of safety and health management in general and on the issue of the safety and health management guidelines in ANSI/ASSE Z10, the national standard for occupational health and safety management systems, in particular. The focus of this article is to provide an overview of Z10’s section 7.

For those interested in reviewing the articles in the series, here’s a list and the links:

• An introduction to various health and safety management system standards and guidelines
• A comparison of “systems” and “programs” approaches for health and safety management
• A look at management leadership and employee participation (an overview of Z10 section 3)
• How to plan your OHSMS (an overview of Z10 section 4)
• How to implement and operate your OHSMS (an overview of Z10 section 5)
• How to monitor, evaluate, and correct your OHSMS (an overview of Z10 section 6)

You might also want to know that OSHA recently released their own Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. We recommend you check that out or read our overview of OSHA’s Safety and Health Programs Guideline (2016). And of course, we’ve all learned that 45001 is now final and will be released soon, so watch for that as well.

For those of you interested in reading about management review of an OHSMS, the article below awaits you.

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How would your company do during an OSHA fire extinguisher inspection? Or, more to the point, if an OSHA inspector were inspecting your workplace, would your fire extinguishers pass muster with the inspector?

We’re going to give you the information you need to pass that fire extinguisher inspection (Ha!!!–no pun intended on “PASS”).

And more importantly, the information you’ll need to know to make sure your fire extinguishers are ready to save property and lives in case of a fire. ‘Cuz that’s what they’re there for anyway, right?

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