Certification & Licensing of Trainers
I would like to have one of my employees certified to provide training for other employees and new hires. How do I do this?
OSHA 1910.178 (l)(2)(iii) states, "All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence."
The OSHA Standard does not include a competency standard for trainers other than those qualifications stated above.
Per the Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training; Final Rule. - 63:66237-66274 published 12/01/1998, OSHA has decided not to include trainer accreditation requirements in the final rule for several reasons.
- First, OSHA believes that the training criteria are sufficiently detailed so that employers and professional trainers who follow the criteria will provide adequate training.
- Second, a large number of trainers and individual employers (potentially in the tens of thousands) would need to be accredited, which would overwhelm OSHA's resources.
- Finally, many small businesses choose to conduct their own training, and requiring them to become accredited to do so would be unnecessarily burdensome.
Although the OSHA Standard leaves the determination of trainer competency at the discretion of the employer, we strongly recommend that you carefully choose your trainer to insure that:
- The trainer is experienced and skilled in the safe and efficient operation of a powered industrial truck(s).
- The trainer is familiar with, comprehends, and employs applicable OSHA codes and all consensus standards as they apply to worker safety and economic impact on the employer.
- The trainer is skilled and practiced in the training of adults or has the ability, knowledge, and desire to attain such skills.
This is no time to "go cheap". Operator safety training is not an expensive service, even from the best training sources. There are many who advertise training services, but finding a source that provides high quality training is difficult.
While the Final Rule states that the training criteria listed in the Standard is "sufficiently detailed so that employers and professional trainers who follow the criteria will provide adequate training", it is a very long leap from understanding the critera to developing training materials that are sufficiently detailed so as to provide the trainee with:
- An understanding of the engineering design and operational features of the equipment,
- An understanding of, and ability to recognize hazards and determine appropriate remedies so as to avoid accidents,
- An understanding of why the rules of safe operation are constructed as they are and why it is important to follow them consistently at all times.
Few employers have the resources, knowledge, or experience to develop the training materials and evaluation techniques needed to provide proper lift truck operator safety training.
We recommend either of the following means of providing the type of technical training that is necessary in order for employee operators to achieve and maintain an accident free workplace:
- Interview and select a trainer from an independent outside consultant or source, who can clearly demonstrate that they have training materials that will achieve the results stated above, or
- Enroll your in house trainer in a train-the-trainer program that will provide your candidate with training that will achieve the results stated above, and that will also provide your candidate with a complete "kit" of trainng materials (lecture notes, slide show, video, and classroom and hands-on exercises) that can be used to conduct effective training that will achieve the results stated above.
There is little value in your trainer candidate attending a one day seminar or online train-the-trainer program that does nothing more than explain the features of a training program. You will spend several hundred dollars and your trainer candidate will still not be prepared to train a single employee, other than in a very informal and non-technical way.
Any train-the-trainer program worth spending time and money on, must provide solid technical training and training materials that can be utilized as soon as the trainer returns to the workplace.
Call John Jordan at 216-587-0400 or e-mail to johnj@neonmaterialhandling.com for assistance in developing your in-house training program.
Should I attend a one day Train-the-Trainer seminar in order to prepare myself to train other employees?
Answer: A one day seminar is not likely to prepare you to satisfy the OSHA Standard 1910.178 (l)(2) for implementing an operator safety training program.
We have never seen a seminar that provides the attendee with "ready-to-go" training materials that can be used for conducting training for your employees.
And, we have never seen a seminar that provides equipment and workplace specific training materials that you can use for training your employees.
If you want a general overview of the OSHA Standard and what must be included in a training program, a one day seminar may provide you with this information. After the seminar, you will need to secure manufacturer's video materials, and develop your training materials before you will be ready to conduct training for your employees.
If you want a complete training kit customized to your equipment and your workplace, call us at 216-587-0400 or e-mail to johnj@neonmaterialhandling.com. Our fee is usually very little more than the cost of a one day seminar.
We have the knowledge and experience needed to provide you with a complete professional training kit.
Following are some "signals" that you should watch for when evaluating Train-the-Trainer programs. These "signals" indicate that the program may not be what you expect and may not provide your trainer with all of the materials and skills needed to conduct effective forklift operator safety training.
- If the entity offering the training uses terminology such as "federal", "official", "OSHA certified", "authorized", or "licensed" to describe themselves and their program, you should know that there are things that they do not know about what they are doing. Giving the impression that you have a credential that OSHA or another government agency would recognize and approve of, is not only misleading, but it indicates that you do not understand the OSHA Standard 1910.178, paragraph (l)(2).
- If the class is a one day session, it is highly unlikely that by the end of the day your trainer will be ready to train, evaluate, and certify other employees.If the train-the-trainer program does not include practice teaching sessions during which your trainer demonstrates the ability to present the trainng material in an effective manner, it is really not a train-the-trainer course. It is most likely just a survey course or review course covering the OSHA Standard(s) pertaining to operator safety training.
- If the train-the-trainer class does not include practice in setting up and conducting driving evaluations using the equipment, your trainer will not necessarily return ready to evaluate and certify others.
- If the train-the-trainer class does not include practice in answering trainees' questions, demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the materials and an ability to explain the material in a manner that the trainee can understand, you are not going to know whether or not your trainer meets the criteria of OSHA 1910.178 (l)(2).
Following is a checklist of factors that you should take into consideration when determining whether or not to implement an in-house training program or to outsource operator safety training.
- Do I have the right employee available to use as a safety trainer in terms of knowledge, experience, operating skills, interpersonal skills, and is his/her knowledge, experience, and expertise recognized and accepted by other employees?
- Will my in-house trainer be available to perform one-on-one initial training for new hires before they begin work according to OSHA 1910.178 (l)(7)? When a new hire or current employee needs training, will my in-house trainer be available to spend the time necessary to conduct thorough and effective training with that employee? We find that in most cases, the in-house trainer has many other duties and responsibilities, and cannot or will not devote several hours to one-on-one training with new hires or other employees who need initial training or refresher training.
- Will the employees who will receive training, respect the trainer, be attentive, and recognize the importance of the training materials / information? Often, an outsourced training program carries higher credibility with employees.
- Will my trainer be capable of staying up to date with any new information regarding OSHA Standards and equipment operating procedures?