Forklift Training Blog

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Posted on February 24th, 2010 by tomw
Filed under: forklift training | 2 Comments »

Introduction

With proper training, precautions, and equipping workers properly before the potential for injury arises, workplace injury or death due to falls can be avoided. This is particularly important because of the high volume of fall-related injuries and deaths in the workplace. Lack of proper fall protection is the third leading cause of death in the workplace, behind automobile accidents and violence in the work place.

The potential for fall incidents increases exponentially based on the type of work that’s being done in your workplace. For instance, fall-related incidents are the number one cause of death at construction sites.

Knowing the unique risks that are present in your work situation and in your workplace can not only help you avoid fall injuries and deaths, but can help you address hazardous situations and prepare for them before they happen.

By avoiding predictable accidents, you can implement an environment that encourages training and safety at all times. You can encourage a regular system of training and learning where employees encourage each other to follow safety guidelines, and take them seriously.

By implementing and following a regular safety problem within your workplace, you can also avoid a PR crisis for your business, and possible lawsuits. You’ll also avoid issues with workers’ unions, and encourage respect and cooperation amongst your foremen and workers.

Most importantly, you’ll avoid your workers paying dearly with their lives or health in situations that could have been avoided with the proper precautions. You’ll also avoid potential problems with OSHA – which is why we’re working on this training for your business in the first place!

OSHA suggests that employers and employees alike have the responsibility to take charge and implement precautions that can stop fall injuries in the workplace. Employers and employees both should:

• Ensure that fall protection is present in a way that addresses the unique situation in your industry and workplace.
• Make sure that physical structures implemented for safety are installed and in place.
• Ensure that employees are properly guided and supervised.
• Encourage a safe work environment for everyone, and make sure everyone follows safe work procedures.
• Train employees properly and using a methodical system that includes regular maintenance on equipment and all other systems.

It is your responsibility to ensure that a system is in place to protect employees and supervisors alike. It’s up to you to create an environment of safety training, compliance, and daily operations in your workplace.

Employee Safety Begins From the Top Down

As a business owner, manager or foreman, it’s up to you to ensure that compliance is administered and adhered to throughout your workplace on a consistent basis.

You should make sure that plant owners, subcontractors, managers and foremen know how to administer training, and to ensure that safety plans are followed within the workplace. The safety plan also needs to be followed with consistency – you don’t want to leave anything out and possibly endanger your workers.

By modifying the language of worker and management contracts, you can ensure early that your employees will be ready to complete training and follow the rules, as well as be aware of the dangers that are a part of their every day duties.

You should also make the effort to hold safety meetings that educate your employees on continued training practices, and that make sure everyone is up to date on safety guidelines. Safety should be one of the top priorities in your workplace, and by doing training checks, maintenance and employee education consistently, you can ensure that the guidelines are followed, and that you’ll pass an OSHA review.

Track Everything You Do

When OSHA comes to visit, you will need to make sure that training procedures , methods, and checks are on file – not just for the organization as a whole, but for every single employee that’s part of your organization. Managers need to be a part of this training as well. If you have a safety team taking charge of this task at your workplace, tracking training activities and disclosing training methods should be a regular part of your paperwork.

Though employee safety should be an important part of your daily operations, tracking training should happen monthly. An incentive program for employees who comply with safety regulations and preparations can boost employee morale and help ensure that all employees follow the guidelines regularly.

Fall Specific Training

The above standards apply to all OSHA standards and practices implementation in the workplace. This course will address fall-specific safety training for your organization.

To understand fall-specific risks in the workplace, you must also understand the unique equipment and training that should be used to address falls in the workplace.

We can discuss the “ABCs of Fall Protection” to cover those bases.

A refers to ANCHOR POINTS

B refers to BODY WEAR

C refers to CONNECTION DEVICES

We will discuss more specific protective gear throughout this course, but the ABCs are a great place to start.

To ensure that your employees are properly equipped to handle dangerous height situations, you need to make sure that they are equipped with harnesses that connect to a strong anchor point. They should also have protective body wear on such as high hats that can protect from a fall if equipment fails.

One of the most important parts of safety for your employees is the connective device that anchors your employee’s body to the harness.

Not only do you need to make sure that this equipment is safe to use and up to date – you need to make sure you can document routine checks of your equipment, as well as routine checks of employees using the equipment as they would in every day activity.

One of the most important elements of ensuring the ABCs and other safety guidelines are followed in your workplace is hands on training. All of the training we discuss throughout this course shouldn’t just involve paper checks or quizzes. Not only is it better for you to watch employees using the equipment as they would in daily operations – OSHA wants you to train your employees hands-on.

QUIZ:

1. Who is responsible for enforcing fall safety in the workplace?
   1. Employees
   2. Foremen
   3. OSHA
   4. D. All of the above
   5. Falls are  the ________ leading cause of death in the workplace.
      1. A. Third
      2. First
      3. Second
      4. Falls are not a leading cause.

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Posted on June 11th, 2010 by roy
Filed under: OSHA Training | No Comments »

The need to understand and work with a host of different entities has become increasingly important in the event, trade show and meeting industry — from establishing a good relationship with the fire marshal and security to electricians, stage hands, camera operators and drayage personnel.  Drayage refers to the work or cost of hauling goods.  And many venues, including most convention centers, as well as some hotels, motion picture studios and other off-premise sites are operated by either union personnel or exclusive facility contractors. Exclusive contractor refers to suppliers and vendors that planners are mandated to use at specific venues. The labor structure and policies for event production vary from venue to venue and city to city. What works in Chicago and Boston may not work in Las Vegas and Seattle.

Staging events in union facilities and towns can either be a painful process — possibly an event industry war story, or the experience can be a relatively easy journey. In most cases, it will largely depend on the event planner. The better prepared and more savvy the planner is about the venue’s union policies, the more trouble-free the event installation and tear-down will be.

Following are twelve steps to enhance the working relationship between the planner and facility contractor personnel, thereby optimizing the chances for a successful event:

1. As part of your event plan, anticipate the number of hours it may take for a laborer to perform any given tasks — from stage managers to a forklift operator. And in the case of drayage, attempt to accurately estimate the weight of all goods that have to be delivered to the venue. The planner also should be aware of the minimum hourly rates for various job tasks, as well as penalties, starting times and meal options. For example, some labor categories require a 2-hour minimum, others may be 4-hours. The meal options might be a half hour dinner break, provided by the client on the clock or a 1 hour break off the clock. Whatever the venue’s pricing structure and labor policies, budget accordingly. One also should allow extra time for set-up. Many contractors are required to take scheduled breaks, which may fall in the midst of your installation. The key is to develop a well-organized production plan.

2. Ascertain which trade show exhibit company and third party contractors have overall responsibility for the convention, event or conference. While last year you may have staged the same event at the same venue and worked with Decorating Company ABC, this year the contractor may be Company XYZ.  And each company has it’s distinct operating style. The event planner must develop a logistical strategy and concisely communicate their plans and needs to the contractor based on the event design and venue’s layout. When installation begins, the planners needs to provide adequate supervision and personnel who are familiar with technical aspects, operations and the overall event layout. For example, the number of electrical drops and their placement can be pre-determined and coordinated with the electricians. The planner’s supervisors can ensure that all electrical drops will be placed in the appropriate areas. This person should be aware of any final changes to the event plan.

3. Understand the difference in terminology and job descriptions used by various unions and facility contractors. For example, the event industry refers to decorators as simply a person who helps install decor and is generally viewed as a non-union function. In contrast, many facilities refer to decorators as people who assemble props and erect scenery, but may lack certain skills to create the nuances commonly found in most events. In this case, the role of the planner is to provide supervision and materials only. The planner’s in-house decorators will only be allowed to perform tasks that do not fall within the union personnel’s job description.

4. At the onset of the event, establish ground rules with exclusive contractors and union personnel. For example, you may want to ask that all communication be directed to you and not your client. As the planner, your client has given you the responsibility to oversee and coordinate all activities in conjunction with the event. If there are problems, you might suggest that contractors talk with you discretely, but again not in front of your client.

5. Create a production delivery schedule and provide this information to all suppliers and members of your event team. And communicate with all suppliers about logistical procedures and labor and facility policies that might impact the delivery and pick-up of goods and services to the venue. Provide the suppliers with directions, maps, contacts, layouts, and other information that will assist them with your installation. The planner and supplier should also exchange cellular and pager numbers as a means of keeping everyone abreast at all times. There’s nothing worse than a supplier truck pulling up to the venue, completely unknowledgeable about the facility’s operating procedures and labor policies. For instance, your supplier may have other scheduled deliveries on that day, but because he was not informed by your organization of the 2-hour delay that it might take to get through the marshaling yard or that workers might be on break upon his arrival, additional delivery costs are likely to be incurred. The delay also sets off a domino affect, and those colleagues who might also be staging an event on the same day and are expecting goods from the same supplier, will be impacted. Their set-up time will be cut short. This scenario could easily be avoided with better organization and communication.

 6. In addition to the site inspections, send an advance person to the venue, prior to the event installation to cut through any red tape. This could vary from a couple of hours to several days, all depending on the nature and scope of the event, as well as the specific venue. The advance person’s responsibility is to trouble shoot on your behalf and pave the way for a smooth event set-up. The advance person must be a team player, possess excellent communication skills, and be willing to establish a good relationship with the fire marshall, electricians, drayage workers, etc. This person is also personable, tireless, relentless and have that unique gift to quickly remember names and faces. The advance person can also provide you with the on-site location offices of contractors, laborers and business services. Planners should provide their advance personnel with a list of your vendors and their anticipated arrival times. This individual can then in turn share this information with the labor and contractor department heads and supervisors. 

7. Flame retardant everything and have certificates on hand to prove it. And like any event, proof of workers compensation and certificates of insurance are mandatory and should be readily available and provided by your company, as well as all vendors and suppliers. In some cases, event, transportation and other types of permits will be needed. These documents also should be at your immediate access.

8. Upon your arrival to the venue, ask your advance person to make all introductions between union department workers, exclusive contractors and your key staff. Because the advance person has become acquainted with the union laborers and the pre-event operation prior to your arrival, this individual is in a better position to pass the torch on to you. It will then be the responsibility of the event planner to continue the relationship throughout the duration of the event.

9. Don’t lose your temper, make threats or act like a prima donna. The laborers and contractors are also there to get a job done, and should be viewed as an integral team participant or partner. Actions that are counter productive only create tension and serve as a detriment to the overall function.

10. While most labor costs and services can be pre-determined and budgeted for prior to the event, there may be some elements that cannot be accurately configured. As the planner, you are probably aware of these potential budget line items, but realize that they cannot be priced until completion of the tasks. Be honest and communicate these unknowns to your client before they solidify a final budget. The client can then take steps to allocate a contingency fund for these expenses and have the costs billed directly to their master account. You also might suggest to your client that they assign one of their employees to be available at the venue during installation to immediately approve any additional expenses.

 11. Assuming that the union laborers and contractors have performed to your satisfaction, you might opt to send a thank-you letter to their company. If key workers served to the overall event’s success, the letter should include their names. Not only can the document be placed in a worker’s personnel file, a letter can serve as a testimonial for that contracting company — an endorsement that can be shared with their future and potential clients. You can also reward the key union personnel and contacts at the end of the event with a small token of appreciation such as a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates or a gift certificate at a local restaurant. Under no circumstances, should an event planner exchange or give union personnel money. Thank you letters and small tokens of appreciation speak well about your company. And contractors and laborers will remember you and welcome the opportunity to work with your firm again.

12. Conduct a post-show or event evaluation, including a critique about the union labor, services and event show contractors. The lessons learned are invaluable and can only thrust you forward in the event and meeting industry.

 

 

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Posted on March 1st, 2010 by roy
Filed under: forklift certification | No Comments »

Forklifts are highly useful for lifting weights and in different business, these forklifts are required. It is especially the warehouses, where these machineries are widely in use. The lifting workers now prefer the use of forklifts for the purpose of lifting heavy metals and loads. Sizes of the forklifts can largely vary and there are different forklift manufacturers across the globe. There are different forklift suppliers and these suppliers offer both new and used forklifts. Usually the power of the diesel and petrol forklifts remains higher compare to the electrical ones. In states like Queensland of Australia, there are forklift sellers which help to identify a suitable forklift as per requirement of the buyer. Ranges of forklifts are changing regularly and many of the older forklifts can be renovated after buying the necessary equipments from the Forklift Equipmentsupplier. Many of the forklift sellers provide free training of forklift operation from quality trainers free of cost. While buying a forklift from a forklift supplier, it must be checked whether this facility is offered or not. Locating a forklift supplier is quite easy and the local yellow page offers location details. Alluring offers are also provided from the forklift suppliers and these may be checked while buying a forklift. The reputed forklift suppliers have specially trained sales professionals who can guide the buyers and can provide a clear insight regarding the technical specifications of the forklifts. New forklifts are usually available in different models and often a buyer may be rattled to select a proper forklift. For novice buyers, it is best to consult with the trained sales consultants as these consultants can clearly specify the technical details of the Forklift Sales Brisbane. And also it is necessary to remember that the entire forklift suppliers are not reliable, so self research through the internet is necessary. The reputed forklift sellers provide price details in the websites and also a clear overview of the different available models. In case the purchaser remains in a separate state, the forklift seller provides free delivery. In case of any queries or doubts, it is best to dial the forklift seller to get better idea regarding the equipment. There are plenty of online articles and journals about the forklift and its utilities, before buying one, thorough self analysis of the forklifts can be helpful. A comparative analysis of the different forklifts can be done from a good forklift provider’s web portal. Discussion with the forklift users helps to have a clear idea about the different forklifts; it is possible to hire a forklift before buying one. Online enquiries can be helpful as the queries are replied at the earliest. Requirement of a forklift can differ and the Ton and capacity of necessary for a specific purpose also can be different if compared to another purpose, so it is mandatory to identify the capacity and size before purchasing. Above all, the post sale service of the forklift supplier should be satisfactory; otherwise the purchaser may face problems after buying a forklift.

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Posted on February 28th, 2010 by roy
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provide regulations for the safety and health of workers in construction, maritime and general industry. Standard 29 Part 1910 gives a summary of the OSHA General Industry Standards. Subpart D deals with Walking-Working Surfaces that are a chief source of injuries and provides regulations regarding the guarding of floor and wall openings, fixed industrial stairs and ladders, portable wood and metal ladders and safety requirements for scaffolding. Specifications regarding the design and construction requirements of exit routes, emergency and fire prevention plans are outlined under Means of Egress. Other standards include those for Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms, Occupational Health and Environment Control, Hazardous Materials, Personal Protective Equipment like eye, face, head and respiratory protection, General Environmental Controls like specifications for sanitation and accident prevention signs and tags, Medical and First Aid, specifications for Fire Protection, Compressed Gas and Compressed Air Equipment, Handling and Storage of Materials, Machinery and Machine Guarding, Welding, Cutting and Brazing, Special Industries, and Electrical Safety Requirements. OSHA 10-hour Training for General Industry orients students to OSHA policies, standards and procedures and also acquaints them with the safety and health regulations for General Industry. Topics like Introduction to OSHA, OSH Act, Citations and Inspections, Walking and Working Surfaces, Electrical Safety, Means of Egress and Fire Protection, Personal Protective Equipment, Machine Guarding, Hazard Communication, Introduction to Industrial Hygiene and Bloodborne Pathogens and safety and Health Programs are covered in the 10 hour training module. Those desirous of obtaining a comprehensive idea about the OSHA compliance issues should undergo the OSHA 30-hour Training for General Industry. Apart from the topics included in the 10-hour module, it provides an in-depth analysis of issues like, HAZWOPER, Confined Spaces, Lockout/Tagout, Hazardous Materials, Materials Handling, Recordkeeping, Workplace Violence, Basic Safety Orientation, Lead safety in the Workplace, Hazards of Asbestos in the Workplace, Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation in the Workplace, Non-Office Ergonomics, Formaldehyde Awareness, Use of Explosives in the Workplace etc. If required, additional training on some particular hazardous aspects of the job will serve as a bonus.The OSHA 501 Trainer course in OSHA Standards for General Industry is recommended for the workers interested in imparting training in the OSHA 10 or 30-hour General Industry Outreach courses. It emphasizes on acquainting them with the use of visual aids and handouts, and the use of different instructional approaches that enhances understanding and comprehension of OSHA standards. It helps in locating OSHA safety and health standards pertaining to General Industry, using these regulations to reinforce the existing health and safety programs, discovering violations of OSHA standards, like hazardous materials, lockout/tagout, walking and working surfaces etc, and keeping of records. After successfully completing the course, workers become authorized trainers.OSHA 511 specifically emphasizes on the major hazardous areas of the workplace, is guided by the OSHA standards and is recommended as a prerequisite for the OSHA 501. After finishing the course, students are supplied with a 30-hour course completion card. It enables personnel to identify appropriate OSHA standards, general causes of accidents and deaths in hazardous locations, violations of OSHA standards, and abatement methods to deal with them. OSHA 511 is for those workers who will not be conducting the training sessions. Hence Safety Training in the OSHA standards for General Industry is a precursor to the prevention of work-related accidents, injuries and deaths and maintenance of safety and health of workers.

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Posted on February 28th, 2010 by roy
Filed under: OSHA Training | No Comments »