Counterbalance lift truck Training
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA require that anybody operating a counterbalanced lift truck be given classroom or lecture style training. They additionally require that a supervised driving course is completed in addition to periodic refresher training. There is no minimum time requirement for the classroom training or supervised driving. In addition, there is no frequency mandated for the refresher training either.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
The weight of the counterbalance forklift is utilized to balance its load using its own weight. The forklift forks are in a fixed position but could be lowered and raised to secure and move loads. The forks run parallel to the forklift's body. OSHA require that people who will be utilizing counterbalanced forklifts on the job be correctly trained on the trucks while being in the kind of setting which they would be utilizing them.
Classroom Training
Classroom training or lecture style training offers information about the truck that the driver would be driving. This training covers aspects like weight and load capacity, height, how to charge or fuel the forklift. It covers how to gauge the time on the engine in addition to any forklift specific safety information like where to stand when walking around the truck. Either oral and/or written testing is part of the classroom training. There is no minimum time requirement for the training.
Supervised Driving
The forklift operator has to learn how to drive the counterbalanced lift truck while being supervised. The supervised driving has to take place in an area that reflects the environment the operator would be driving in. This atmosphere must include the type of terrain she would be traveling on, have the same vehicle and pedestrian traffic nearby, and the same surrounding structures nearby as well. There is no required minimum number of hours the driver needs to drive while being supervised.