Not as easy as it looks

I have been in the training business for a very long time. In fact, I love training people and I look forward to going into work every morning. One gets a bit immune to the sarcasm that is thrown your way when you tell people that you train fork truck operators and their Instructors.

I well remember a CEO of a very large grocery firm phoning me to arrange training. He  wanted a large number of people trained to use electric pallet trucks, counterbalance trucks and reach trucks.

He thought I day should crack it with 6 people per course. When I politely explained that it would take longer than that, he tore my head off! He’d seen the trucks, just a couple of buttons and two simple levers to explain, a child of 5 could manage that. I told him why I didn’t want his business and away he went.

Unfortunately, he found someone who would deal with all three truck types every two and a half days and issue certificates to his operators. I believe the Health & Safety Executive were forced to visit his company a few months later and heavy fines were imposed. Fortunately no one lost their life!

Fork lift trucks do look easy to operate. Truck manufacturers work really hard to keep them as small as possible so that they can be operated in the minimum of space and to simplify their method of operation. Unfortunately they cannot make them idiot proof. In the wrong hands they are lethal.

Most people have seen examples of the most common types of trucks, unloading a lorry at their local supermarket, or moving stock around the DIY stores. They don’t look very life threatening.

But, these little machines are extremely powerful and can pick up a load weighing 2000kg, transport it around and stack it at up to 12 feet high. Yes, if you think about it, the truck has to weigh more than the weight it picks up, or else it would tip over. They are expensive too, and probably cost more than the boss’s car.

These little machines are built like a tank and in the wrong hands they will very easily demolish the brick walls around the plant. They are rear wheel steered to enable them to maneuver in really confined areas in order to save space. Space is always at a premium. But steering a rear wheeled machine is different to steering a motor car, the rear of the truck swings on corners and it is made of very heavy duty steel and it will break whatever it collides with, including hips and pelvises!

They are used to move loads, but not any old load. Before an operator picks up a load they have to be taught to understand the truck’s rated capacity. Every truck must have on it, prominently displayed a plate fitted by the manufacturer that informs the operator of the machine’s capacity. It tells a trained operator what weight can be lifted and what load centres (Centre of Gravity) to what height. The operator must prove that they can interpret this information as part of their operator test.

But now the operator can pick up and transport weight. And now they must be given a very thorough understanding of a multitude of factors that can affect the stability of the truck and it’s load. Once you raise a weight, Gravity keeps trying to put it back down again. So violently brake and gravity wins. Add too much speed and spin the steering wheel and centrifugal force comes in to help gravity pull the truck and its load over. They don’t fit outriggers to stop this happening simply because of the space problem. Of course a trained operator understands these things and gets to know the truck’s limitations. Of course on top of all this the operator has to learn how to look after the truck.

Then the operator has to learn the system in use at their place of work and thoroughly understand the loads they handle and appreciate the sheer value of loads they may handle every shift. It is not uncommon for an operator to move a millions of pounds worth of goods per shift. I think that by now I have proved the need for training. In place of training, try ignorance. The CEO that I mentioned did that and he failed!