Beyond box-ticking

That said, unfortunately in some businesses, Accreditation is seen simply as a means to tick the compliance box for in-house training. This apathy is such a shame, as in times that are increasingly economically tough, the right Accreditation can offer so much more to help firms protect their business, cut costs and be more efficient.

Beyond the basics

Earlier in 2020, we launched our new RTITB Accreditation solution for organisations delivering in-house lift truck and plant operator training. The first of its kind in the transport and logistics industry, it assesses and accredits an organisation’s entire MHE operation, not just its Basic Operator Training to help make significant safety improvements.

Our newly updated RTITB Accreditation solution is specifically designed to improve business efficiency through proactive risk reduction, in-house resilience and continued improvement. To help facilitate that, an annual material handling equipment (MHE) training and operations HealthCheck is included at no extra charge as part of the new in-house Accreditation service.

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During a HealthCheck, qualified auditors and workplace transport specialists will conduct a thorough review of all aspects of the organisation’s MHE training and operations, not just Basic Training, against relevant regulations, such as ACoP L117, and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. This results in an impartial report revealing potential risks, areas for improvement, good practice highlights, and support with the actions to take.

Having received a thorough audit across the whole spectrum of both lift truck operations and training, RTITB Accredited organisations will be able to remove risk from their operations and benefit from complete peace of mind around legal and regulatory compliance in the event of an incident.

Cutting costs

For any responsible employer, lift truck operator training is not an area where corners should be cut to make savings. High quality training is key to workplace transport operation safety. However, budgets are inevitably under pressure. Our Accreditation solution has been designed to help with that.

For example, we know that for some businesses it can be difficult to justify training spend if you’re concerned that operators intend to use their certificate to then gain employment elsewhere. In the past, many organisations have overcome this by issuing ‘in-house’ certificates. However, these do not have the backing of RTITB Accreditation and protection should an incident occur.

To help you put safety first while protecting your training investment, RTITB Accredited Partners now have the choice of whether forklift and plant operator certificates are restricted for use exclusively within your business or can be transferable. Non-transferable registrations will not appear on the public database and certificates issued as non-transferable will clearly state this. Unlimited verification and joint-branded electronic certification for trained operators are included in the single annual accreditation fee.

Protecting people

As well as reducing costs, RTITB Accreditation delivers truly innovative tools to help organisations reduce their carbon footprint too. 

For example, Accreditation can also include licenses for eTruck UK, RTITB’s completely unique eLearning tool which can reduce counterbalance training time by up to two days. By making it possible for candidates to complete theory training online, anytime, anywhere, at their own pace, this digital storytelling platform significantly reduces training time. And by losing fewer working hours to training, you can maximise productivity and save money.

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What’s more, eTruck uses a variety of engaging training methods that are designed to appeal to a wide range of learner types and have a greater impact on operator behaviour.  The back-end reporting also supports your Instructors, giving greater insight into candidates before they arrive for practical training.

Another unique benefit of the new RTITB Accreditation solution is that organisations now receive unlimited licenses for the MyRTITB TrainingFriend app, which makes in-house MHE training administration and assessment 100% paperless. Paper-free means you can save money and time, as there is no need to buy, print or copy test marking sheets, training records or registration forms. It also offers clear environmental benefits as our sector becomes increasingly eco-conscious.

Plus, the app helps ensure accuracy in administration and assessment, helping to improve both operator testing standards and training record compliance. 

High standards

The RTITB Accreditation option for organisations delivering in-house training also includes annual Instructor CPD days, access to our up-to-date e-library of all the professional training resources needed to deliver high quality, standardised training, a 20% discount on any courses booked at the RTITB Instructor Academy, 25% off selected items in the RTITB shop and full support from the RTITB team. All of these are essential elements in ensuring that the training delivered is of the high quality that we know makes a real difference to safety and efficiency.

For organisations to become RTITB Accredited for their MHE operations, our initial HealthCheck enables us to set benchmarks and work together with them to meet certain standards before we issue their Accredited Partner status. This is then revisited within the year to re-benchmark and uphold high standards. Only by doing this can we provide a service that enables businesses to benefit from complete peace of mind around legal and regulatory compliance.

New era

2020 has without doubt been challenging for many businesses within the logistics industry. This has made controlling risk, damage and cost more crucial than ever. With the new RTITB Accreditation service we will continue to give warehousing and logistics operations the extra support they need in these areas, while also helping to make lift truck operations as safe as possible.

For more information, visit www.rtitb.com