Forklift Training in Calgary

Alberta’s government has become stringent about the safe operation of a forklift in the companies located in Calgary. It is not something to set aside, it is something to be given with great attention. Forklift training has to be provided to instill safety and health into the minds of the workers. The forklift safety program is intended to minimize and decrease the number of forklift-related accidents and injuries in the workplace.

Canada's Ministry of Labor is always on the lookout, they conduct routine company inspection of job sites.

This inspection prompted employers to supply quality forklift training of their workers to assure that not only the law has abode but also for the protection of operators and people around this equipment.

If you are unfamiliar with how to obtain certification or if you are seeking a forklift driving class, here, we’ve made this tutorial for you to follow.

How to Obtain Forklift Training

It is always important to find the intricacies of the forklift and how to safely operate it. It is not something to toy with. Forklift operation is the cause of lost time injuries, damages, and accidents. To get you familiar on how to obtain forklift training, here are the steps that must be followed:

1. The training class must be specific to the type of fork truck. Therefore, when enrolling for a class, you must determine on what type of forklift you want to get trained on.
2. Enroll at the forklift training school. We have provided below the schools in Calgary where you can register for a class. An employer who is seeking certification for their workers can hire a trainer from the school. The training can be done either at the school’s facility or at the employer’s actual busy environment. Either of the two is acceptable but the most effective training is onsite.
3. Trainees must attend the classroom lecture. There are two approaches here, it can be completed either in-person or online. Some schools provide online course, where trainees can learn through their computers in offices or homes. But I suggest trainees to attend the lecture in-person, to learn adequately from the instructor and interact with fellow students.
4. The knowledge gained by trainees must be assessed. This assessment is in the form of a written exam.
5. Practice driving is mandatory. This is where trainees will operate the forklift truck, familiarize themselves with the controls, know the basic operation, learn the limitations, and manufacturer’s specifications.
6. A sort of evaluation must be performed. The trainer will conduct the evaluation. The evaluation will cover practice driving and driver performance. The trainer will rate the trainees and make a recommendation accordingly. If you passed the evaluation, you will receive your license or certificate of completion.

Training Providers in Calgary

Forklift inspectors from the Ministry will be sent to look out the hundred of workplaces in the province, this includes residential construction where forklifts are utilized. If you do not want to get citations and fines, always be prepared. Here is the list of the training schools where you can take the forklift training.

• Calgary Board of Education - Viscount Bennett Centre, 2519 Richmond Road SW, 403-777-7550
• Cervus Equipment - 5159 72 Avenue SE, (403) 243-6011
• A.I.P Safety - Suite 400 7330 Fisher St. S.E, (403)202-2477
• LEAVITT Machinery - 55 Technology Way SE, Calgary, Ph: (403) 723-7555
• Capital Industrial Sales and Services - Calgary 1-888-644-0644, serves other cities also
• Raymond Johnston Equipment - 2880 45th Avenue SE Bay 308 – 332, (403) 258-1221
• Health and Safety Insights - 403-901-0900, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• LifeMark Health Centre - 2121 - 29 St. NE, Calgary, 403-219-5736
• Bugle Forklift Sales and Rentals - 105, 4919 72 Avenue SE, 403-814-0918
• Temps Services - 3105, 5th Ave. NE (End unit), (403) 235-5226, Fax: (403) 207-5554
• Olds College - 345 6th Avenue SE, Pe: (403) 697-6130, Free: 1-800-661-6537, F: (403) 697-6131
• ProTemps Canada - #15, 6624 Centre Street S.E., (403) 264-9000
• WT Safety Truck Driving School - Calgary, Alberta, 403-720-0001
• Hayes Safety Training – Calgary, 403-603-0952
• C.I.C.T Training - 210, 3112-11 St NE , (587) 585-2428
• OIT Material Handling - Bay C, 3518 - 62 Ave SE, 403 279 7311, Fax:587 353 0632
• A R Williams Materials Handling Ltd - 8019 54 St SE, Calgary, 403-243-6011
• Arpac Storage Systems Corporation - 7220 44 St SE, 587-315-8882
• Alberta BC Safety - 3621 63 Ave NE, (587) 351-3011
• Alberta Lift and Equipment Rental - 927A, 46th Avenue SE, 1-855-AB LIFTS, 1-855-225-4387
• Allstar Enviro Safety - PO BOX 557 7620 Elbow Dr SW, Calgary, 403-214-1558

If you are in the province of Edmonton, you can enroll at the forklift training schools, the process is the same, the course content is also the same. 

What You Should Take into Consideration When Choosing a Training School

• Look for a training provider that offers classroom lectures, practical demonstration and performance assessment (written test and driving evaluation). If one these is lacking, go find another. You should not choose a provider that issues certificate on the spot.
  
  
• Don’t choose a training provider with cheap tuition or promises you to get certified in an hour or two, most likely you would obtain the required education. You should give importance to the training even it costs you a little more than you expected.
  
  
• Choose a training provider with modern training facilities and equipment. Go and visit the school and see their premises. Do they have modern facilities and forklift equipment to offer to students like you? Talk to a representative first and ask for permission before you proceed to visit.

• Choose a training provider that offers students immediate job placement after completing a course through them. This sounds encouraging as you don’t have to bother to apply for a job through job agencies or hiring companies. But also, beware of a training provider that doesn’t issue a certificate and operator card right away after completing the training course, some will keep the certificate until you get a job through them. These credentials should be awarded immediately to you after passing the tests.

To Talk About the New CSA standard B335-15 "Safety standard for lift trucks"

• If you are an employer, you already heard about the new version of this standard. Still, the old and new versions of the standard require forklift operators to be trained to a certain level of competency. But in the new version, the training requirement has a significant change. The training process is now must include the theory, hands-on, knowledge verification, and practical evaluation. The trainer must know about delivering these four in order to ensure the instruction is understood by the students.
  
  
• Another obvious change is the new retraining requirements. The old version of the standard requires retraining every three (3) years, and re-test of their skills 18 months later. The 18-month re-test is removed and replaced by a broader responsibility for employers to monitor performance on an ongoing basis. And "the three-year requirement becomes secondary to the legislative requirement of the province.
  
  
• Factors that initiate retraining. The operator retraining should be done when the workplace condition changes when a piece of new equipment is introduced, when there’s new applicable legislation, and operator skills and knowledge deficiencies are defined.

Other municipalities of Alberta

Drayton Valley, Drumheller, Eckville, Edson, Elk Point, Fairview, Falher, Fort Macleod, Fox Creek, Gibbons, Grande Cache, Granum, Grimshaw, High River, Hinton, Innisfail, Irricana, Killam, Lamont, Legal, Magrath, Manning, Mayerthorpe, McLennan, Milk River, Millet, Morinville, Mundare, Nanton, Okotoks, Olds, Onoway, Oyen, Peace River, Penhold, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek, Ponoka, Provost, Rainbow Lake, Raymond, Redcliff, Redwater, Rimbey, Sedgewick, Sexsmith, Slave Lake, Smoky Lake, Spirit River, Stavely, Viking, Vulcan, Two Hills, Turner Valley, Trochu, Tofield, Three Hills, Taber, Red Deer, Strathcona County, Wood Buffalo,

Additional Requirements for Forklift Operator & Employer

If such industrial accident, that causes serious injury to forklift operators, happened, the employer is required to comply to the Workers’ Compensation Act. This is to benefit the injured worker for compensation. For more information about, visit the website of Workers’ Compensation Board www.wcb.ab.ca or by calling 1-866-922-9221.

There are instances where forklifts are being operated on public roads in Alberta. If this is the circumstance, then the driver and equipment must comply with the Traffic Safety Act. This is to assure that the vehicle has complied with regulations like service restriction, traffic control device, use of highway and rules of the road, vehicle equipment use, inspection and maintenance. Likewise, the operator has to adhere to Alberta’s operator licensing. For more information, visit the www.transportation.alberta.ca or call 780–427–2731, for more information about these.

If the forklift driver is carrying or hauling dangerous goods, the person operating the forklift must comply with the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. This act asks for more training requirements from the operator to assure that the goods are being handled safely and securely. You communicate with concerned authority, www.transportation.alberta.ca or by contacting 1–800–272–9600

Salary of Forklift Operator Working in Calgary

According to the latest report of Erieri.com, when you are working in Calgary as a forklift operator, the average you would get is $45,465 per year or that translates to $22 an hour. While the wage typically ranges between $34,597 and $54,393 depending on some factors.
The factors that affect your salary are the years of experience working as a forklift operator, the certifications you have under your belt, the size of the company you are working for and the location where you are working in Alberta.

The transportation and logistics industries continue to grow as it was in the past years. This means that there will be a continuous demand for talented people like you. Being a forklift operator only takes a day or two to get certified and only less than a month to obtain the required experience to land an entry-level job.

Every forklift operator must be certified in order to get a job, this is because of the machine involved and the potential hazards of handling heavy loads. If you would like to enter this career, getting certified is the first thing you have to do. Contact a training provider to enroll in for a course, see above.

To Conclude This

The employer doing forklift operation must have a printed safety job procedure or practice. This procedure encompasses specifics about forklift training, operator competency level, refresher/retraining orientation, trainer qualification, safety maintenance procedure, manufacturer’s specification, and many other topics.

Due to the large quantity requirements needed to comply, the employer must be aware of these and stretch a muscle at least to act in accordance with the law. You are expected to follow these.