Forklift training for employees is mandatory according to OSHA standards. If you are not able to provide this training in-house, there are many companies that will provide the training for you, but which training is best for your business? Why not just do the bare minimum to become OSHA approved? 

Well, it turns out, there are a lot of reasons for making sure the training your investing in is worth it. It is advantageous for companies to receive the best quality training that is offered on the market because you fulfill more than the OSHA standards — your employees walk away better and more experienced. 

Here are some of the impacts investing in quality forklift training will have on your company.

Safety

It is well documented that lift truck operators who know how to use their equipment make fewer mistakes, leading to greater accuracy and efficiency. Once your operators complete comprehensive training programs, they will be much more inclined to utilize their equipment correctly, and be optimally suited to achieve greater productivity, less equipment damage from misuse and abuse, and less product and rack damage due to improper handling practices.

Also, this seems like a no-brainer, but good forklift trainers have lots of experience on the floor. With this experience comes the ability to offer powerful insights and anecdotes to the trainees. Make sure you check how long a trainer has been in the industry before signing up to a class. 

Morale

Employees who are trained by a competent professional will actually enjoy the training experience. It's a time to explore what it means to be a good forklift operator while having fun. A good teacher can strike the balance between delivering great information and keeping the mood light, ensuring that your employees actually absorb the information. 

Efficiency

Frankly put, forklift operators who receive good training are more efficient than those who only scraped by the OSHA standards. Training is a mandatory upfront cost, so getting operators well trained is a cost-effective decision — even if a better course costs slightly more.

The likelihood of accidents happening potentially decreases, employees will look forward to the training next year, and repeat trainees will learn as well new employees — all of which increase efficiency as as whole.

Hope this helped!