OSHA forklift requirements state that forklift operators must receive compliant training and forklift certification from an approved trainer like Forklift Safety. If not, the business could be fined or face other forms of punishment. This makes it important for organizations to ensure they have a forklift safety program in place and properly train all their operators with a compliant forklift training kit. However, there are a variety of other reasons and benefits to properly train operators and meet all forklift certification requirements to get them certified in addition to remaining compliant with OSHA.
1. Improved Workplace Safety
When you properly train an operator with an OSHA approved forklift training kit and get them certified in accordance with OSHA forklift requirements, your workplace becomes much safer for everyone. This means less potential for accidents that will leave employees injured and likely result in penalties from OSHA and the United States Department of Labor.
2. Greater Productivity
Less potential for accidents means more “business as usual” that isn’t interrupted by clean-up or damage that needs to be repaired. It also means you have a smaller chance of losing employees because they were injured in an accident or improperly operating a forklift. This all makes your workplace more productive.
3. Increases Lifespan of Forklift
A good forklift training kit will talk about how to properly maintain a forklift and the machine’s limits, in addition to how to properly operate one. When your operators know how to take care of the forklift and know how to prevent damage or issues from overuse, you can have the same forklifts for longer.
4. Lower Maintenance Costs
When your operators are taking good care of your forklifts, that also means you should need to get them serviced less often. That saves you money and increases productivity since your workplace won’t be without one of it’s forklifts for however long repairs take.
5. Greater Return On Investment
When your workplace is safer and more productive, and operators know how to take care of forklifts to increase their lifespan and reduce the need for maintenance, business gets a greater return on investment.