In this Winter 2010 IVES Update Newsletter our main article is called Safety Training – Is There Enough For Everyone? We’ll also introduce our new excavator training program, talk about the crane deadlines, as well as supervising mobile equipment operators. Our ask bob question pertains to forklifts and we show a new What’s Wrong With This? photo.
Safety Training – Is There Enough for Everyone?
It seems to me that the amount of employee safety training delivered by the average company has increased incredibly over the past decade. My personal opinions on the reasons for this are; a) a general increase in the amount of safety regulations, b) a corresponding increase in the enthusiasm with which regulatory authorities enforce these regulations and, c) the connection made by business and industry between workplace safety and profitability.
You could say that this development is an example of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. In a perfect world, delivering safety training is motivated more by moral and ethical reasons than regulatory finger wagging or monetary gain. In any case, more training is taking place and that is ultimately a good thing, regardless of the reasons.
Having said that, another observation I have made is that in spite of the rise in workplace safety training, the areas with the most regulatory violations 10 years ago are still leading the pack today, statistically speaking. These areas encompass a wide cross section of activities like scaffolding, lockout/tagout procedures and, trenching and excavating – none of which I feel qualified to comment on. However, there is one high frequency offense I do feel qualified to comment on that consistently ranks high on the list year over year, and that is powered industrial trucks or, as I like to call them, forklifts.
Forklifts are the most common variety of material handling equipment and as such there are a lot of forklift-related incidents. In turn, regulatory authorities issue many forklift-related citations and forklifts in general get a lot of attention as a safety hazard. The cause of the majority of forklift-related incidents is often attributed to operator error which usually can be traced to operator training, or the lack thereof, as the root cause, and there you have it. Another incident investigated, another cause identified and remedial action recommended, which is usually, train your forklift operators better and more often. But I’m afraid this is not enough, and the statistics appear to support that.
I have been asked many times about what makes a safety training program successful. My answer to this is, everyone. I am usually met with the same puzzled look after saying it that you probably have after reading it.
Training will only affect the people that receive it and not enough people are. Take forklifts for example. Most operators are getting the training they need but what about everyone else that works around forklifts? Think about this and be honest, you probably have qualified people delivering formal training to the operators where you work but is anyone doing any training at all with your supervisors and pedestrians? If so, great! You are among the proud few. If not, consider the following.
Supervisors are a vital link in the success of any organization, and any training program. After the training is completed, supervisors are responsible for, among many other things, monitoring operations and making sure that safe work practices are used by workers in accordance with their training. Further, they must intervene and take corrective action when this is not the case. Supervisors cannot perform this vital function if they are not given the training they need to perform their jobs properly and this is a huge reason that many well-conceived and delivered training programs fall flat. There are no ongoing efforts to endorse and/or enforce the training where the work is carried out usually because the supervisors don’t know what to do. I regularly spend 3 to 4 hours in the classroom with forklift operator trainees. Then I have them perform inspections and operations in the field with the equipment. Finally, I perform a formal evaluation of each trainee’s operational proficiency. I would love to allot a half hour with supervisors afterward just to review what I taught the operators to do and what they should look for when they monitor them from day to day. Unfortunately, that never happens and it is a real shame. How on earth can a supervisor promote and enforce 8 hours of training and evaluation when they don’t get a second of it themselves? The answer is, they can’t.
Pedestrian training is vital as well. Forklift incidents involving pedestrians represent around 30% of the total incidents involving forklifts. Take a moment to let that sink in in a bit while considering that there are tens of thousands of forklift-related incidents per year. Also consider that forklift/pedestrian-related incidents involve a machine with an average gross weight of 15,000 lbs. and a human being weighing in at around 180 lbs. No matter what numbers you plug in here, incidents involving contacts between forklifts and people are disastrous for pedestrians.
On the issue of pedestrian training, once again when I think of the time I typically spend with operator trainees on topics that would also be very beneficial to pedestrians working near the equipment, I can’t help but wonder at how useful it would be toward the overall success of the safety program. Unfortunately, as in the case of supervisors, pedestrians receive little to no training with respect to forklift operations and the horrific 30% statistic prevails.
I do not want to oversimplify things, but I truly believe that if employers mounted a serious effort to train supervisors and pedestrians in forklift-related matters, it would have a significantly positive effect on the number of related incidents and maybe we would finally chase the powered industrial truck category out of OSHA’s top ten for good.
Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group
Excavator Program Set For Release
There are many exciting things that happen in companies that strive to constantly improve and expand their offerings to do more to help their clients. Here at IVES, probably the most exciting thing is the release of a new equipment operator training program. With this in mind, we are very happy to announce the coming release of our new Excavator Operator Training Program and materials.
We think the arrival of this program is well timed in that the popularity of excavators, particularly the light duty mini and compact units, has exploded over the past several years. The versatility of these machines has also lead to their proliferation at the ground-works stage in nearly every walk of industry from heavy construction, residential construction, road building to landscaping.
“Like so many things, once you get deeply involved with something you really notice it so much more out in the real world,” says Rob Vetter of IVES. “Since I got involved in the development of this [excavator] program, I’ve noticed that they have almost completely displaced other machines like bulldozers. All the clearing, leveling and, of course, excavations are all done with excavators now it seems. They come in so many sizes and attachment configurations that there’s almost nothing they can’t do.”
The new operator program features:
- A brand new Excavator Operator Reference Manual with the same detailed, accurate information as well as industry-leading graphics that you have come to expect from IVES.
- Plain language text that is easy to read and understand.
- A newly designed Performance Evaluation Form (formerly Practical Evaluation Form) that includes an integral pre-use and site inspection checklist on one side and an Operational Grading Table on the other, both are incredibly user friendly.
- A 20 question Excavator Operator Theory Test in multiple choice format, so no extensive writing is required by the operator.
In addition to the items listed above, the new Excavator Trainer Certification Program includes:
- An Evaluator’s Notes Form for recording notes on your trainees during the performance evaluation.
- A 25 question Excavator Certified Trainer Theory Test mostly in multiple choice format, no extensive writing is required by the trainee.
- A new Trainer’s Manual Excavator Equipment Insert containing all of the detailed information needed to construct a lesson plan, deliver classroom and practical training and evaluation, and log the operators you qualify.
The new excavator program is designed to address wheeled and crawler type light to medium duty units up to approximately 50,000 lbs gross weight. IVES plans on rolling out the operator training materials January 1, 2011. Custom (on-site) trainer certification programs will also be available on that date with Open Enrollment Trainer Certification and upgrade programs to follow at selected locations in the first quarter of 2011.
Supervising Mobile Equipment Operations
We all recognize that the operators of mobile equipment like forklifts, aerial lifts and loaders require comprehensive and specific training as well as an evaluation of operational competence.
However, after operators successfully complete this process, ongoing monitoring and enforcement of the training falls squarely on the shoulders of supervisors.
In many instances where injury and/or damage producing mobile equipment-related incidents occur, the investigations that follow often reveal an absence or lack of proper supervision as a significant contributor towards the cause.
IVES can help you to prevent this from happening at your company by delivering a Supervising Mobile Equipment Operations Program at your location with your company supervisors or anyone designated in a supervisor role.
This program details the general responsibilities of employers, supervisors and employees so that everyone understands what is expected of them from a regulatory standpoint. The program also explains basic operational criteria that supervisors should be monitoring equipment operators for every day.
Delivered at your site, we can tailor the content of the program to your equipment and site conditions. Call IVES for more details. 1-800-643-1144
Deadline Looming
Crane operators in British Columbia, Canada must have a valid operator’s certificate by February 28, 2011. Any operator not certified by February 28 cannot legally operate a crane in British Columbia. There are still many operators who have not been assessed. Time and resources are limited, if you don’t book immediately, you may not get your assessment completed by the deadline. If you have not booked your assessment or registered with the BC Association for Crane Safety, please contact their office at 604-525-1227 (www.bcacs.ca).
Deadline Passed
In the US, the November 8 implementation date of the new Federal OSHA crane rules for construction came and went. As of that date, crane operators have 4 years to acquire certification through a program that meets the criteria of an approved certifying entity (see Fall 2010, Volume 14, Issue 3 of the IVES Update “New US Federal Crane Rules Implemented”). Any operator not currently certified must be under the direct supervision of a “crane trainer.”
Forklift Operator Found Guilty
A jury in Baltimore City Circuit Court has awarded $305,000.00 to a truck driver who was struck and injured in a forklift incident at a warehouse in January 2007.
The jurors decided that [the forklift operator] demonstrated negligence in running into the truck driver.
During the trial, it was revealed that the forklift was operated with the load directly in front, blocking the operator’s vision, a violation of a guideline under the occupational safety and health program of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry. The impact broke two bones in [the victim’s] left ankle, injured his right hand and tore a shoulder rotator cuff, jurors heard.
The truck driver was awaiting a load for his truck. He walked into a warehouse office to ask about the schedule and was directed out. At that moment, the forklift drove around a blind corner and struck him. At the time, the forklift operator acknowledged in writing that the accident was his fault.
Are We On Your White List?
In the electronic landscape of today’s society, it is easy for one’s privacy to be lost in the vastness of cyberspace. Internet hackers and e-mail scammers seem to be lurking around every virtual corner making it necessary for us all to throw up barriers and firewalls to guard the access points to our home and office computers.
However, in blocking emails from the Crown Prince of some non-existent African country who wants to deposit a zillion dollars in your bank account, sometimes legitimate emails are also blocked. This is unfortunate because last May, IVES began using email as the primary route to get information out to you with the IVES Safety Bulletin, a monthly e-bulletin sent in addition to the quarterly IVES Update that is delivered by standard mail. Unfortunately, many of these bulletins do not get through to you as they are caught in spam filters or security screening software. This is indeed unfortunate because the e-bulletin is anything but spam. It contains many of the same type of technical advice and opinion pieces as the IVES Update that many of you have found so useful over the years. So when you get a moment, please adjust your email settings to accept messages from “IVES Training Group,” we think you will find it both useful and convenient.
Chuckles
Notes taken from actual medical records:
- “The patient expired on the floor uneventfully.”
- “She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early December.”
- “Discharge status: Alive but without permission.”
- “The patient left the hospital feeling much better except for her original complaints.”
- “Patient was released to outpatient department without dressing. I have suggested that he loosen his pants before standing, and then, when he stands with the help of his wife, they should fall to the floor.”
- “The patient has no past history of suicides.”
Ask Bob
Q: My company has an aerial boomlift. I went to do some training on it the other day and noticed it did not have its annual inspection so I told my manager and he had our forklift repair company come in and do it in about 15 minutes. Does that seem right to you? Libby.
A: No, it certainly does not seem right to me. First of all, the person doing the inspection has to be qualified as a mechanic on the specific model of aerial lift being inspected. I’m not saying that in your case he/she wasn’t but unless your forklift repair company also deals with aerial equipment, it seems unlikely that the person they sent out would have the proper qualifications, but I would definitely recommend finding out. Also, the annual inspection includes structural non-destructive testing that takes quite a while to do. I can’t tell you how long it should take but 15 minutes seems too quick. It takes me nearly that long to do a regular pre-use inspection. If you share this opinion, I would recommend letting your manager know
Bob.
Whats Wrong With This?
The photo below shows an operator performing a pre-use inspection under the watchful eye of a trainer (with clipboard). Can you see anything the operator is doing wrong? What about the trainer? Look for the answer in the Spring 2011 edition of the IVES Update.
Answer to Last Month’s “What’s Wrong With This?”
Q: In the Fall 2010 edition, we showed a photo and asked if you saw anything that this aerial lift operator had done wrong?
A: Hopefully you spotted that this operator has tied off the lanyard of his personal fall protection system to the top guardrail of the unit, which is a huge no no.
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