Forklift operators will receive their certification card upon completion of a forklift training course. This is proof that he underwent a training course and evaluated by certified instructor. This wallet-size card serves as his license to operate the PIT that he can show to your designated supervisor or OSHA inspector, when he is asked to present.
Certification card can be issued by employer or by its designated safety trainer. This could also be given to an operator when he finished a training curriculum when enrolled in a school, along with a certificate.
There have been reports of abuse and misuse of this card. The most common of it handing over of the card to someone and use it to present when applying for work. Employers beware, OSHA does mean business, when inspector visited your premise and found your operator in possession of such fraudulent card, you could be penalized. Operator having a fake card could face criminal charges.
What information needed in the certification card
It is extremely important that the details of the operator and trainer must be included.
At the heading, you should find these details:
- Name of the company or training school
- Address of the company and training school
- A logo will be appropriate to include.
At the primary information of the operator, you should include these details:
Name of the operator – The first name and last name/surname should be written in capital letters, to make it more readable.
Photo of the operator – To avoid misuse, it is important to include a photo of the operator, showing his facial features.
Date of training and evaluation – License renewal can be based on this. It is much more understandable when the date is formatted like this: dd/month/year (e.g: 15/January/2015)
Name of trainer and/or evaluator – there are instances the one who conducted the training is different from those who will conduct the evaluation.
Signature of the operator - This should be included to verify his identity.
Signature of the trainer and/or evaluator – obviously, it is important to authenticate the operator’s attendance.
Type of forklift truck operator is able to operate - This is also be an additional feature to include in the certification card to verify if operator is trained to handle a machine he’s operating on, when inspected.
If you can afford to buy an ID card printer to print a more durable PVC plastic card, you can do so. There are some online vendors of this kind of machine. Check this out
Forklift certification card can be renewed every three years, after which, the operator can undergo recertification or retraining, but it will take lesser time than the original training.
Keeping a training record
It is an utmost concern to keep a record of their trained operators, especially when the training is done onsite. OSHA inspector may ask for it, showing your training record will prove your compliance. In addition to this, retaining of training records can be practically helpful when your company is applying for ISO standards.
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