Forklift Training

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, only qualified and competent personnel are legally allowed to operate a forklift or lift truck in Ontario. A qualified person, with respect to operating a forklift, is an individual with the knowledge, training and experience necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of a lift truck operator and safety perform the related duties and activities involved therein. To meet these requirements, the first step is to partake in a theoretical forklift safety and awareness certification program, such as the one offered here at 1 Contact Safety. With your safety awareness certification, you’ll be able to begin the process of learning how to operate a forklift at your place of employment under the supervision of a knowledgeable and competent forklift operator. Whether you’re looking to get certified for the first time or need to receive your 3 year renewal, our 4 hour forklift training course has you covered!

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Course Objectives

The objective of this course is to ensure that all forklift operators fully understand the principles and steps necessary to safely operate a forklift or lift truck, are aware of their own and their employer’s legal obligations with respect to the operation of a lift truck, are able to recognize the hazards and safety risks associated with operating a forklift and are capable of completing the additional training that is required to legally operate a forklift in the province of Ontario.

Employer's Obligations and Requirements

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has set out specific guidelines and requirements for employers to follow with regards to the training and certification of forklift or lift truck operators. According to Clause 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, all employers are obligated to "provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker". Regulation 851, fortunately, provides a more detailed and specific requirement for employers of forklift operators, stating that a lifting device is only to be operated by a competent person. "Competent person" is defined by the OHSA as someone who: is qualified because of his knowledge, training, and experience to organize the work and its performance, is familiar with the provisions of this Act and the regulations that apply to the work, and has knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the workplace.

Course Content:

Our forklift operator certification program is a 4 hour course that includes a full overview of lift truck operation and safe operating practices/procedures. After all of the necessary facts and information has been presented in an engaging and interactive format, a knowledge verification quiz will be given to each trainee. Only those that receive a passing grade during the knowledge verification quiz - greater than 70% - will receive their wallet certification card. Overall, our forklift training course meets or exceeds Ministry of Labour requirements and includes the following content:

Principles of Counterbalanced lift truck operation;

Identifying vehicle and operator safety hazards in the workplace;

Lift truck stability and the importance of the stability triangle;

Safe operation and tip-over procedures;

What’s involved in a pre-operation or pre-shift inspection;

Battery handling practices, hazards and procedures;

Propane handling practices, hazards and procedures;

An overview of the Ministry of Labour’s lift truck guidelines; and,

A knowledge verification quiz.

In addition to providing the theoretical safety awareness certification course, 1 Contact Safety also offers a more comprehensive training program that includes practical forklift training and on-site evaluations. Remember, obtaining a forklift safety certification is only the first step to legally operating a forklift or lift truck in Ontario. The second component is receiving training on workplace specific equipment by a qualified and component individual, who must certify that an employee is qualified to operate a forklift without further supervision. Here, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that each operator is trained to operate the lift truck(s) they will encounter on a day-to-day basis by an industry expert. Specifically, operators must demonstrate that they can regularly perform the following procedures in a manner consistent with competence standards:

Pre-operation inspection and visual check;

Start-up and shut-down procedures;

General lift truck operation: accelerating, decelerating, turning, driving a lift truck in forward and reverse, parking, operating a lift truck around personnel;

Load handling: selection and security of loads, pick-up and placement, personnel lifting, stacking and restocking;

Loading and unloading: transport vehicles, structures; and

Operational maintenance: refuelling, recharging (where appropriate).

**For a full overview of what knowledge is to be acquired during operator training, see the Ministry of Labour's website and Appendix III)**

If you would like us to come to your workplace and provide practical forklift training and evaluations, please let us know below!

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MOL Inspections and Forklift Training

Over the past 10 years, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has become much more vigilant with regards to industrial workplace safety and have implemented far more stringent requirements and safety regulations regarding forklift training, certification and operation. For example, a single infraction or violation could result in thousands of dollars in punitive fines, a full work stoppage or even jail time, depending on the severity of the violation. As such, many more companies are now realizing the need for and value of a comprehensive forklift training program. And this is where 1 Contact Safety’s forklift training and safety certification program comes into place. Not only will our training offering ensure you’re legally compliant with federal and provincial regulations, but each course is taught by an energetic and engaging instruction with years of experience as a safety trainer and educator. If you are a business looking to ensure legal compliance and the safety of your employees or an individual looking to take the next step in their career developing, our training program is for you! Click below to book your spot in our next course or to schedule an on-site training session for your employees.