How An Online Train The Trainer Course Improves Forklift/MEWP Training

By: Russ Niedzwiecki, Contributor

Having workers who are well trained to operate forklifts can help prevent injuries and keep insurance costs down. Photo courtesy stock.adobe.com

Forklifts and MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) are familiar pieces of equipment in manufacturing facilities and warehouses of all types; however, there are significant safety concerns with both. Forklifts and MEWPs are both heavy and difficult to stop. Forklifts can tip over if the load they’re carrying is not properly balanced. And if a proper safety harness is not used, workers can fall from MEWPs.

Operator Training Is Essential

Safety is the primary reason for training forklift and MEWP operators. Forklift accidents take the lives of about 100 workers each year and seriously injure 20,000. Both operators and other workers are at risk.

Having workers who are well trained to use the proper equipment is essential to any business’s profitability. Training can reduce devastating and costly accidents and keep insurance costs down.

Onboarding new employees is a significant investment, and it is even more expensive to rehire when new employees do not work out because they are poorly trained and lack essential skills. Companies are looking to standardize the training process with content that is easy to understand and fits with their new employee orientation goals.

How Companies Handle Training

To promote lift truck safety (forklifts and MEWPs), OSHA mandates two types of operator training. The first is classroom-type training, which covers basic safety principles. The second is practical, hands-on training on the equipment the operator will use in the actual work environment.

Many companies offer the classroom training component either as in-person classes or online instruction. Though new employees may have taken part in training in a previous job, the new employer is obligated to offer classroom operator training. This is step one.

Because the second training component must be tailored to the equipment the operator will use and the environment in which they will use it, a different strategy is needed. One approach is to hire a training company for the hands-on training component; however, this may cost more than the company’s budget will allow. Also, since scheduling sessions can be difficult, operators may have to wait for their hands-on training. During this time, they cannot use the equipment, so the employer loses productivity.

Training The Trainer

To eliminate the expense of hiring an outside trainer and ensure timely completion of training, some companies designate one of their employees as a forklift and MEWP trainer. That person is required to complete a Train The Trainer course to be certified to train other workers.

In-person Train The Trainer classes can also be expensive and time-consuming. The designated trainer must be away from their regular job to attend the classes, and this lost time means lost productivity. Companies may also incur lodging and mileage expenses.

A new option has emerged that eliminates these problems: an online Train The Trainer course.

Advantages Of Online Training

Online training offers significant advantages for both trainers and their companies.

• More productive time: The designated trainer does not need to go off site for their training. There are no scheduling difficulties and no lost time.
• Flexibility: Training can happen anytime, including during down times or after hours, so there is no lost productivity.
• Simplicity: Training can occur wherever there is a computer and Internet connection.
• Tailored pace: The pace of the training is controlled by the person being trained.
• Affordability: Online courses can be a fraction of the cost, compared to in-person offerings. There are no lodging and travel expenses.
• Long-term benefit: Having a trainer on staff speeds up your operator training long term.

How To Select an Online Train The Trainer Course

If your company needs to train forklift and MEWP operators and wants to have its own in-house trainer for the practical, hands-on component of OSHA-mandated training, here are features to look for in an online Train The Trainer course:

• A reputable training company – Look for a training company with a good reputation for providing excellent training and a well-established history as a provider of forklift and MEWP operator training.
• Knowledgeable trainers – Make sure the trainers have long experience with forklift and MEWP operator training.
• Engaging presentation – Most training will educate and inform. However, the best training goes beyond this to engage and even entertain. Seek out training that goes beyond the basics of just providing information. It will be more memorable and effective.

Online Train the Trainer Courses Improve Your Bottom Line

Forklift and MEWP operator training improves productivity and reduces accidents. Additionally, this training is mandated by OSHA. The first component of this training is usually provided in-person or online by a training company.

The second training component is hands-on training. Having your own trainer on staff gives you an in-house solution to the problems of conducting this OSHA-mandated hands-on forklift and MEWP training. Having an in-house trainer speeds up the training process and saves you the cost of lost productivity from untrained workers.

Online training for your designated trainer is a fast, effective and affordable way to get your in-house trainer up to speed.  WMHS

Russ Niedzwiecki is a corporate safety trainer with TrainMOR, a subsidiary of Morrison Industrial Equipment. Niedzwiecki has spent 20 years training operators of powered industrial trucks and mobile elevating work platforms and conducting Train the Trainer courses for 15,000+ people at more 1,000 U.S. companies. He was instrumental in developing TrainMOR’s online Train the Trainer course (www.trainmor.com).