Proper Training Can Prevent Common Forklift Accidents

Forklift Operator Safety Featured

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A forklift accident in your Indiana operation can be a line manager’s worst nightmare. No matter how big or small, an accident can result in damage to equipment or facilities, downtime in your day-to-day operations, or worst of all – injuries to your employees. But workplace accidents can be prevented, especially through proper forklift training.

How Can Training Prevent Forklift Accidents?

Certified forklift operator training helps prevent accidents in a few ways, some less obvious than you’d think.

Increased Safety and Best Practices

Regularly renewed operator training from a certified trainer offers many benefits, but the operative part of that sentence is “regularly renewed.” All too often, fleet managers and operators will let their training slack when it should be retested annually. Operator error is one of the most common causes of forklift accidents, and out-of-date training on a certain type of lift truck could contribute to any of a number of forklift accidents in your workspace.

Operators Become More in Tune with Lifts

Forklift operator training is a lot about repetition and becoming comfortable with the regular operations of any given forklift. One of the valuable benefits of that repetition on a certain lift is familiarity with how it operates: how it sounds, looks, feels, and handles while it’s operating at full strength. 

When an operator is more familiar with a given lift, they may be the first to notice something wrong with a part of the forklift. An early spotted loose chain or fuel leak could prevent an accident that would otherwise be disastrous.  If your Indiana company just invested in a new forklift, you’ll definitely need forklift training so your operators can explore the truck’s capabilities. 

Shows Your Employees that You're Serious about Safety

Safety starts at the top of any Indiana business. Keeping current with training cycles and OSHA regulations are a great first step.  Receiving regularly scheduled forklift maintenance and upkeep for every member of your material handling fleet also shows that you care about your Indiana workspace and your forklift operators. The result is that you create an environment of accountability that can make a real difference to the human aspect of your business.

Gets Everybody on the Same Page with Forklift Operation

If your business has multiple material handlers, then you are best off having one singular source of operator training. This not only makes it easier to train multiple team members at once, but may also lead to better communication on the work floor. Operators can predict each other’s movements when working in tandem and may be able to detect problems with an outside-the-lift view. You can even make use of Tynan’s “Train the Trainer” program which would allow one of your own managers to be able to train operators.

If your business has multiple material handlers, then you are best off having one singular source of operator training. This not only makes it easier to train multiple team members at once, but may also lead to better communication on the work floor. Operators can predict each other’s movements when working in tandem and may be able to detect problems with an outside-the-lift view. You can even make use of Tynan’s “Train the Trainer” program which would allow one of your own managers to be able to train operators.

Invest in your Business with Forklift Operator Training


Up to date forklift operator training can not only prevent huge loss from accidents, but can have positive effects on productivity as well. Get in touch with a dedicated source of forklift operator training at Tynan Equipment Co. We’re certified trainers for a huge number of manufacturers, including Yale, Bendi, Drexel, Cushman, and more. Learn more by calling us at 317-597-4003.

Industrial worker using a forklift with the required safety equipment

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