Forklift training videos are an easy and convenient way to keep your employees safe and your business operating smoothly. Every year, over 37,000 forklift accidents occur in the United States alone. These incidents are caused by a lack of knowledge of proper machinery usage and a misunderstanding of safety features. If your business has even one forklift, you should mandate forklift training course videos for every employee.

Why Use Forklift Training Videos for Everyone?

Even if you only have one forklift and one forklift driver, injuries can still occur if other employees who do not know how the machinery works. An employee without forklift training might move the forklift out of the way to get to a box, or they might stand in front of it while a driver operates it. For legal purposes and the safety of your employees, everyone should understand and be aware of safety regarding this machinery.

What Is the Purpose of Forklift Training Videos?

Many companies give out pamphlets on forklift safety. Employees quickly review it during their onboarding process. There are several problems with this approach, including the following:

• Employees quickly forget the information
• Employees may lose or throw away pamphlets and similar documents
• Printed information is not particularly engaging
• Employees rarely remember information shared in this way
• Employees may not understand printed forklift safety information

With video training, employees stay engaged, learn through visuals, and better understand the safety precautions. Video and audio streams support both visual and auditory learners. Videos maintain interest and engagement—especially if they have some humor—which leads to better information retention and safer practices.

Forklift training videos deliver critical information on many different topics, including the following:

• Safety Processes: Forklift video training should give a firm grounding in all relevant safety processes. This includes those followed by employees working in an area where a forklift might be present, but also processes forklift operators must follow while operating machinery.
• Maintenance: Forklifts must be maintained to operate safely. Maintenance can run the gamut from replacing blown lightbulbs to mending worn tires and brakes. The actual steps you follow will vary based on the type of forklift used. Maintenance is paramount for ensuring not only that the forklift itself operates safely, but also for the safety of the driver and any employees in the surrounding area.
• Usage Guidelines: Forklift training videos must deliver guidance on safe usage of the equipment. This should cover every aspect of operation, from checking the surrounding area for obstructions and other employees to safely lifting and moving loads. Note that this training will also vary based on the use of the forklift. For instance, a forklift used in a carpet warehouse will see very different usage than one used for loading and unloading palletized merchandise.
• OSHA Compliance: In all cases, forklift training videos must comply with OSHA requirements and ensure compliance with government mandates. Make sure that any training videos presented to your employees support OSHA standards.
• Heavy-Duty Forklift Operation: Forklifts come in different sizes and capacities. Heavy-duty lifting machinery requires different training than that designed for lightweight equipment and may require additional competency and safety training for OSHA compliance (and workplace safety).
• Forklift Operation Pacing: Finally, forklift training videos help employees understand how important it is to slow down, focus on the task at hand, and complete one thing at a time. This helps to improve safety but affects efficiency. The more efficient your operators are, the smoother things will run and the more profitable your business will become.

When Should You Use Forklift Training Videos?

When should you use forklift training? It plays a role in many different points, from onboarding to annual professional CE. We’ll walk you through what you need to know below.

New hires should always watch forklift training courses and videos if they intend to work in areas where forklift operation is regular. For instance, anyone working in a warehouse environment should be required to watch these videos. It is important to ensure that they know these safety processes from the very first day even if they will not be operating a forklift themselves.

Of course, video training is important for anyone who might be called to use a forklift during the extent of their employment. These videos explain standards and terminology so workers can learn how to use a forklift before actually getting on one and risking harm to themselves or others.

Forklift training videos also have a role in general onboarding processes. If forklifts are used at any point within your business, safety is a key consideration. Making a new employee hired for the accounting department watch a forklift training video might seem like a waste of time. But, if there is even a remote chance that they will interact with a forklift in any way, they must know and understand how to do so safely.

OSHA requires that every operator complete re-certification and training every three years. In addition to watching forklift training videos, drivers must also be evaluated while operating machinery. This means that you will need to provide not only training videos but also a trainer capable of observing employees operating forklifts and certifying that they comply with OSHA standards.

You may want to mandate that workers view forklift videos annually or to create a rotating schedule of training if you have multiple operators. This ensures that you’re always ahead of the curve and that you never have your entire team in training at one time. Doing so would support improved productivity and efficiency while also complying with OSHA’s safety training requirements.

Creating a Safer Workplace with Forklift Training Videos

Don’t take employee safety training lightly. Offering and mandating forklift training videos for newcomers and seasoned employees alike will help minimize injury and damage, and increase productivity and efficiency. It also ensures compliance with government requirements while giving your employees the skills and knowledge necessary to complete their duties correctly.

Forklift Safety Courses:

• Forklift Safety Lessons For The Safe Pedestrian
• Forklift Operator Safety: Handle with Care
• Workplace Safety Training Courses
• Forklift: Forklift Safety: Step Back for Safety
• Forklift Operator Certification 1: Operator Training And Pre-Operational Inspection
• Forklift Operator Certification 2: Stability
• Forklift Operator Certification 3: Loading And Operation
• Forklift Operator Certification 4: Classification And Refueling
• Forklift Safety Lessons For The Safe Operator
• Forklift: Operating Forklifts Safely
• Forklift Safety: Industrial Counterbalance Lift Trucks
• Safe Forklift Operation: To The Point
• Forklift: Powered Industrial Truck Safety

Resources – Additional information?

• Top 25 OSHA Safety Courses
• Top 50 OSHA Safety Courses