Powered industrial truck safety training

OSHA Forklift Safety: Competent Person Training

Build the safety knowledge needed to support safer forklift operations, identify workplace hazards, and help administer an effective powered industrial truck training program. The course covers key principles from OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks Standard, including safe operation, equipment awareness, maintenance, and operator-training responsibilities.

Supervisors and Managers

Support more effective oversight of forklift operations, workplace hazards, and the controls that protect operators and nearby employees.

Safety Personnel

A useful knowledge foundation for people involved in safety inspections, training administration, incident prevention, or equipment-risk reviews.

Forklift Training Leads

Helps employers and designated trainers understand the subjects that should inform formal instruction, practical training, and workplace evaluation.

Online theory training is one part of compliance: this course does not, by itself, authorize a trainee to operate a forklift or make someone an employer-designated competent person. Employers must ensure that operators receive equipment- and workplace-specific practical training and a workplace performance evaluation before operating powered industrial trucks.

Course coverage

Forklift Safety Knowledge for Safer Training and Oversight

The course covers the central areas employers need to consider when developing and supporting a powered industrial truck safety program.

Understanding the Forklift

Powered industrial truck types, classes, and their intended operating environments.
Truck controls, instrumentation, attachments, and built-in safety features.
Stability, center of gravity, load capacity, and the risks created by changing conditions.

Operating the Forklift Safely

Safe travel, turning, loading, unloading, stacking, and load-handling practices.
Ramps, grades, loading docks, narrow aisles, pedestrian areas, and overhead-clearance awareness.
Parking, unattended-truck controls, and actions that reduce tip-over and struck-by risks.

Inspection, Maintenance, and Equipment Controls

Pre-operation inspections and basic operating checks.
Recognizing defective equipment and removing unsafe trucks from service.
Fueling, battery charging, maintenance awareness, and appropriate protective measures.

Identifying Workplace Hazards

Surface conditions, loading docks, trailer movement, obstructions, and restricted work areas.
Pedestrian separation, blind spots, backing operations, and route planning.
Facility-specific hazards that can affect safe powered industrial truck operation.

Training and Evaluating Operators

The relationship between formal instruction, practical training, and workplace evaluation.
Operator records, refresher training triggers, and periodic performance evaluation.
Employer responsibilities for determining that each authorized operator can work safely.

From learning to workplace use

Pair Course Completion With Practical Training and Evaluation

Use this course as the formal-learning component of a broader safety program. Before authorizing an employee to operate a forklift, the employer must ensure the operator receives practical instruction on the relevant truck and workplace, then evaluate their performance in real working conditions.

Step 1: Complete the online modules and assessments.
Step 2: Provide hands-on training for the truck type and workplace.
Step 3: Evaluate performance and retain the employer’s training record.

Employer designation matters: OSHA requires training and evaluation to be carried out by persons with the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence. The employer remains responsible for operator authorization, practical assessment, and the certification record.

Need Forklift Safety Training for a Team?

Group licensing makes it simpler to assign training, monitor learner progress, export completion records, and keep your workforce documentation organized.

Explore Group Training Options

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