Forklift certification is simply the documentation of a forklift operator, which indicates that he/she has flourishingly undergone a training program, in this case via the online platform, and that adheres to the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health division Act Forklift Academy of Training.    

Frequent fatal accidents that involved the industrial trucks obligated the United States of America’s Department of Labor, under the Occupational Safety and Health division, to come up with regulations that required the certification and training of all individuals required to operate forklifts. This was done with the intent of minimizing the mishaps, fortuities, wrack-ups, and fatalities that might happen in the future. 

Some of the stipulations as indicated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, that any forklift operator should abide upon include: 

• Specific training based on the site of operation and type of equipment involved. 
• Operators need to first undergo full training and possess a certificate of approval before being allowed to handle any forklift. 

• Must be 18 years of age and or above. 

The above requirements are among several others, and failure to comply can cause relentless consequences, which includes the imposing of a fine of $13,260 for every day that a violation was committed. It can also attract imprisonment for up to six months or even both. Violation can also arise from improper documentation and forgery. The proper documentation that abides by the OSHA’s requirements needs to have the date upon which training was done, the date upon which evaluation of a trainee was delivered, the name of the trainer and their affiliation, and as well the employee’s name. 

Also, it’s important to note that Forklifts belong to different classes. Class I includes the electric motor riders, Class II includes electric narrow aisles, Class III that includes tow tractors and Stackers, Class IV that includes internal combustion engine, Class V that has cushion tires, Class VI that consists of a combination of electric engine and tow tractors, and finally Class VII that composes the forklifts that operate on a rough terrain. 

Training and certification is divided into two categories: Formal and Practical. Online training can only be used to achieve the formal category, whereby it involves videos, discussions, webinars, and written documents. Some of the topics that are covered include load stability, pedestrian cognizance, hazardous and high–risk locations, among others. Most people consider the practical category of training and disregard the formal one, which is wrong because it is as important as the prior.  

Conclusion. 

A forklift can be described using the analogy of a ticking bomb. It is a potentially catastrophic vehicle that should only be handled by certified personnel. In case it lands in untrained hands, an accident is a guarantee. The intent behind the stipulated regulations is to provide the safest workplace possible.