Forklift/personell lift certification?

[NPloysa]

Forklift/personnel lift certification?

I work at a museum doing building maintenance. We have an old USPS 24 volt forklift from the '70s. No, it was not my choice to buy this old POS, but we have it and works ok for most our small projects. It is a walk-behind with a paddle throttle, forward, reverse, steers by moving the "handlebars". It can lift about 1500 pounds at about 4'6" height max. It has up/down and that's it. No sideshifting, no movable forks, no tilt. It has operable warning lights.



Being a small private company (if that has anything to do with it) and me and maybe two other co-workers able to use it, is it necessary to have a forklift certification? I don't see why. It's not used but once a week TOPS for 5 or ten minutes.



What about rented personnel lifts and reach forklifts? I use the 40' boom lift to hang banners. I wear safety glasses, hard hat, and appropriate harness.



The big reach fork is used to move sculptures, bricks, or other materials we need moved. These are rented and I use appropriate safety gear, but is certification needed?



Our security captain is tightening the reigns. I'm all for being safe but come on! She even has an OSHA violation thing on there saying we need fall protection if using a ladder over 6'. What the hell am I supposed to tie into? The make-believe, fall-rated eye bolts in the ceiling?



Nick

 

[tugboatphil]

Nick,



When I was in the Navy, putting people on a forklift (the fork end) was a big no-no. However, every shipyard we went to did it all the time. They usually had a metal pallet style contraption that had stanchions and handrails welded on.



I would guess that your SO's directive would be coming from an insurance company. With Worker's Comp claims and lawsuits these days, it is an overkill prevention concern no doubt. When I was learning to drive a tugboat, my instructors would always ask how I would respond to different situations. If the conditions called for anything but a standard prcedure, they would say "Explain why you did it that way, as if you were in front of a Board of Inquiry. Because that is where you'll have to have your answer. "



As to certification, I think that is usually an in-house kind of thing. Unless you are operating off company property, I don't see where that would be an issue. However, if I was the one deciding who would get to operate the equipment, I would ask myself if I would trust them with ME on the forks.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Nick how is it going at the job anyhow? I remember when ya took that job. I got mine 12 years ago thru the NFA National forklift assoc testing. Damned if I can find my cert along with my powder actuated tool cert and cpo :-laf Anyhow I believe they also do personal lift as seperate but there are loop holes to that by just working up a rental on demand contract with a local supplier



http://www.liftor.com/index.html

 

[NPloysa]

Job is going well TMTT, thanks for asking. Still hanging in here!



As for carrying people on the forks I did that once on a large rough-terrain fork lift but it was a situation where we didn't have a choice. As for the small lift, no one goes on that. If personnel need to be lifted, that's what the boom lift with basket is for.



Nick

 

[AKAMAC]

Nick, In the PROK (peoples republic of kalifornia), training is a requirement. Every 2 years the class is held and recertification is granted. I drive a lift 5 or 6 times a year and still have to take the classes. Kinda like CPR cert, every 2 years.

Our lift also has to have a daily inspection log filled out. You can check your local OSHA requirements for FL operation. Mike

 

[BigGunZ]

Go to the dept of Labor / OSHA website and look for CFR 1910. 178 It will answer your questions. All employees that use it have to be trained by a competent person to use it. If someone gets hurt, and they weren't trained, you could be staring at lawsuits and fines.

http://www.osha.gov/

If you have any trouble with specific questions I can help you interpret the standard.

 

[jwilliams3]

Buy a used instructional video and issue some lamenated licenses.

You should be good to go... .

Just follow the OSHA rules.