Obtaining Accredited Training Certificate, commonly known as forklift licence, is very important as it demonstrates that an operator has attained the Basic Operator Skills to drive a forklift truck. We at Wallace Forklift Training London – an RTITB forklift training provider, hear of serious injuries and fatalities resulting from forklift truck accidents every week. These are often investigated by Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Obviously, HSE will look at the skills, competence and qualifications of the forklift operator.
It will help if the forklift operator has received training from an accredited forklift training provider. The forklift operator training records must also include Refresher training, usually every three years.
Training is often paid for by the employer. Some employers feel that with the accredited forklift training certificate, the employees are likely to seek another employment once qualified and hence are reluctant to spend on such training. Instead, they provide in-house training. However, this has serious implications in case of an accident as they cannot prove that the forklift operator has received training which meets the HSE Code of Practice (L117) requirements. However there are ways that an employer can safeguard their investment in accredited forklift operator training. The employer can ask for a non-transferable certificate from the accredited training provider which is clearly marked for use at specific business or site. The certificates are often retained by the employer who paid for the training. Therefore, the accredited forklift training certificate is useless for another employer as it is non-transferable. You do not have to register the forklift operator on the National Accredited Register. Some employers upgrade the non-transferable certificates to transferable certificates after the forklift truck operator has remained in the job for 12 months and they are registered on the RTITB NORS database.
Most employers however opt for transferable forklift operator certificates and registration on the National accredited Forklift operator database.
Some operators opt for forklift training operators who are not accredited, either due to perceived lower costs (although they often end up paying more) or ignorance. Some forklift training providers are Brokers, or Agents (they don’t have their own warehouse or forklift) so you can’t be sure that you are getting an RTITB recognised qualification unless you can see the Training Provider’s name on the RTITB website. However, training from a non-accredited trainer will not meet the HSE Code of Practice (L117) requirements for forklift truck operator.
A lot of individuals pay for their own forklift operator training to improve their job prospects. In such circumstances, they must opt for transferable training and be listed on the National Accredited database like RTITB NORS.
Ruth Wallace of Wallace Forklift Training London says “you must make sure that both the forklift training company and person training you are accredited”.
Wallace School of Transport including Forklift Training in London is a fully accredited RTITB company with over 60 years’ experience. You can be trained either at your own work site or at Wallace Centre in Park Royal. If you have any questions, call Wallace Forklift Training on 020 8453 3440, choose option 3 or click here to email us.