

If you’re employing a new operator who states that they have completed forklift training, or that they have a lift truck ‘licence’, it’s vital to check that they do have the required skills and experience to work on your site.īefore an operator commences work on your site, you should always check: This is the case both for employees and agency staff.

When you employ new lift truck operators, or transfer operators into a new role or environment, you should always thoroughly assess their skills and knowledge as well as checking that they have a Basic Training certificate.
Forklift license renewal how to#
How to check a forklift certificate is valid Only once operators have completed this training should you provide them with an authorisation to operate. This is not a ‘licence’, but proof that your operators have a Basic lift truck operator qualification and the subsequent stages of training required for safety and compliance. If your operators have completed the three stages of training, they should have documented evidence that confirms they are competent to operate the machine type for which they’ve received training. For this reason, this training is not usually transferrable between different roles or companies. This means that the moment something different is encountered, the existing training ‘expires’. They take the skills learned in Basic Training, give them context, and help operators gain the specific competency they will need to use particular equipment and carry out particular tasks in a particular workplace.
Forklift license renewal full#
Having obtained this qualification, they are unlikely to ever need to do a full basic course for the same truck type again.Ĭonversely, Specific Job Training and Familiarisation Training are not one-off courses. This is essentially a lifelong qualification which proves that an operator has met a minimum standard of knowledge and skills at a specific point in time. When a ‘forklift licence’ is referred to, what is usually meant is that the operator has completed Basic Training for a lift truck. So, in the absence of a ‘licence’, how can you ensure that your operators stay safe in the warehouse while keeping your operation compliant with PUWER?Īs an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that operators have completed the three stages of forklift operator training – Basic Training, Specific Job Training and Familiarisation Training.

A lift truck, or materials handling equipment, ‘licence’ simply does not exist! Upon completion of training, the operator’s training should be documented and, they may be issued with a certificate that confirms the training they have received – however, this is still not a licence, nor is it a step to acquiring a licence of any sort. When referring to a ‘licence’, what is actually meant is a lift truck certificate of basic training and this does exist for forklift operators.Īs part of Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 ( PUWER 98), employers must ensure that lift truck operators receive adequate training before they are authorised to operate on site. However, there is no such thing as a forklift licence, and terms such as the above make recruiting the right candidates, and ensuring they have the correct training, confusing for employers. You’ll even see operator job advertisements including statements such as ‘forklift licence essential’, ‘accredited licence needed’ or ‘seeking an operator with a forklift ticket’. The phrase ‘forklift licence’ is often heard within our industry, as if operating a forklift is akin to driving a car, lorry or motorbike.
