Forklift Training

PROMOTION ON FORKLIFT COURSES
For the time being prices are being held at 2013 level - £295 per day for up to 3 candidates (instead of £360 per day, or £345 for loyalty members)

East Kent Training is a registered training organisation with LANTRA National Training Organisation Limited and so is able to provide both nationally recognised and Health & Safety approved forklift training as required.

There are various courses available on all types of machinery, which is dependent on the amount of fork lift driving experience a candidate has (Novice, Experienced, Conversion, Refresher Training). This also applies to plant & other machinery training. Please contact us for guidance on this.

Lift-truck operators, even those who are trained and experienced, need to be routinely monitored in the workplace and, where necessary, retested or refresher trained to make sure they continue to operate lift trucks safely.

We do offer an update and assessment in one day for experienced operators to keep skills current and to prevent bad habits slipping in. Where an operator fails this assessment, we can then arrange further training for them. Successful candidates will receive an updated certificate of training which shows they have met the required standards.

Courses are generally held on customer premises using their machine.

Who are these courses for?
These courses are designed for anyone wanting to train for certification in a nationally recognised qualification in fork lift and plant operation

Duration
One to five days depending on experience. Operators with some experience of lift trucks or relevant experience of similar vehicles may need less extensive training than those with no experience, however, the HSE stresses not to overestimate the value of such experience. An operator with basic training on one type of lift truck or handling attachment cannot safely operate others, on which they have not been trained, without additional conversion training.

Tutor/Trainee Ratio
Maximum 3 candidates 

General Fork Lift Course Content
Training is required to teach the necessary skills & relevant job safety knowledge required for the safe operation of the machine in their working environment.
Trainees are encouraged to promote future good practice in order to maintain their driving skills and to conform with all the relevant statutory procedures (e.g. Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, etc and Approved Codes of Practice)
Trainees will be motivated to provide greater productivity and cost saving as a direct result and maintenance of the training standards.
These courses are a combination of theory and practical skills, and, as always, the emphasis is on safety.
Assessment for certification is carried out at the end of training in the form of a multi choice question paper and a Practical Safety & Driver Skills Test.
The course content varies slightly depending on the type of machine used.

Content 
On these courses the trainee will learn:

  • The essential features of lift trucks and their maintenance

  • How to avoid the potential dangers of lift truck operation

  • How to assess loads and move them safely

  • How to get the best from a lift truck in different conditions

  • The relevant legal requirements

  • Starting & Stopping


  • Visual checks and maintenance

  • Mounting and dismounting

  • Controls and instruments

  • Start and move off

  • Safe Stopping and parking

  • Operating


  • Stability

  • Load Centres

  • Rating and derating

  • General Driving


  • Use of controls and instruments

  • All-round observation

  • Acceleration and braking

  • Positioning, turning and straightening

  • Rear end swing

  • Hydraulic controls

  • Use of handbrake

  • Use of horn

  • Ramps and hills

  • Pallet Work


  • Positioning the truck

  • Positioning of forks

  • Use of lift and tilt boom

  • Use of control and instruments

  • Use of handbrake

  • Driving with pallets

  • Stacking and destacking

  • Loading and checking vehicles

  • Side shift and swing in

  • Undercutting

  • Bulk Materials


  • Changing attachments

  • Stability and positioning

  • Use of horn

  • Loading of high sided vehicles

  • Use of lift and tilt boom


The instructor will continuously assess a trainee’s progress to ensure they achieve the required standards throughout training. At the end of the training, candidates will be tested to demonstrate that they have the necessary practical and theoretical knowledge and skills to operate lift trucks safely.

It is essential that newly trained operators are given specific job and familiarisation training as well as basic training. Once they have completed training, employers should give operators, including occasional users, the opportunity to put the skills and knowledge acquired during training into practice at the workplace to reinforce that training.

 

Refresher Training

Description
There is no specific time period after which you need to provide refresher training or formal assessment. However, you may decide that automatic refresher training or a retest after a set period (for example 3-5 years) is the best way to make sure employees remain competent. Where you adopt this approach, you will still need to monitor performance, in case operators need extra training before the set period ends.

The length of a refresher training course will be set by assessment of the operators to identify shortcomings and any unsafe habits which need correction. It is not, therefore, possible to advise on the length of refresher training. However, it is unlikely that refresher courses of less than one day will be effective. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Regular refresher training will ensure operators: 

  • maintain good driving habits

  • learn new skills where appropriate

  • reassess their abilities


Refresher training or retesting might also be appropriate where operators:

  • have not used trucks for some time

  • are occasional users

  • appear to have developed unsafe working practices

  • have had an accident or near miss

  • have changed their working practices or environment