1) How does OSHA regulate forklift training and certification?

OSHA is committed to workplace safety across all industries and has established certification and training requirements for forklift operators. These requirements apply to all forklift operators at all job sites in the U.S.

After a series of deadly accidents involving powered industrial trucks, the U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Division initially instituted a series of regulations requiring training and certification of all people who operate forklifts. The intent behind the regulations was to reduce the number of serious accidents and fatalities in the future. Here’s a summary of OSHA’s forklift operator requirements:

Forklift operators must be 18 years of age or older.
To drive forklifts, operators must complete an OSHA-approved training and certification course, such as the course offered by ForkliftCertification.com.
OSHA’s requirements include a list of mandatory topics that need to be covered by the training.
A designated individual needs to evaluate a driver’s understanding of the material, as well as their ability to properly and safely operate the equipment.
Training must be specific to the site and equipment type.
Failure to comply with or ignore OSHA regulations, including having untrained and unlicensed forklift operators can have severe consequences. OSHA can impose daily fines up to $13,653 for each day a violation of its forklift operator regulations continues, up to a maximum of $136,532.