"Licence" to kill?
August 1st 2007

Popular myths about training requirements and socalled "licences" for fork lift truck operators may compromise safety in the workplace, says David Ellison, chief executive of the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA)

One the FLTA's most important roles is to simplify and explain the safety legislation surrounding fork lift trucks, helping users and suppliers to recognise and act upon their responsibilities. The FLTA office receives daily enquiries, from companies seeking clarification and guidance, and this gives us an overview of which topics are proving problematic in the workplace.

The Licence is a myth One of the most widespread – and potentially dangerous – myths is that there is a "Fork Lift Truck Driver's Licence" which must be renewed through refresher training every three years. If you believed this, you're in good company.

Even The Sunday Telegraph recently reported that new fork lift licences "must be obtained every three years." But the fact is: there is no such thing as a Fork Lift Truck Licence and current HSE guidance contains no requirement for routine refresher training.

Instead, HSE actually calls for regular monitoring and routine re-assessment of operators, to see whether additional training is needed.

This might reveal a training requirement, but equally it might not – and employers have more options than they might think.

Some of the confusion might have arisen through common training programmes which insist upon refresher training at three-year intervals.

It is absolutely vital that all operators, however experienced, receive appropriate training from a properly accredited provider as and when it is required, but this should be tailored to each one's particular needs, and forcing employers to block-book compulsory refresher training every three years is not the best way to improve operator safety.

Indeed, the stipulation is a disincentive from carrying out valuable re-assessment more frequently, jeopardising operators who might benefit from specific help within the three years. It stops employers focusing their training budget where it is most needed and, because a blanket approach can be expensive, it increases the risk that some less scrupulous firms will simply not bother.

Similarly, the false idea that employees can hold a transferable, national "driving licence", entitling them to operate fork lift trucks, is fraught with danger.

It undermines the vital obligation for operators to have their knowledge and skills re-assessed whenever moving to a new working environment or type of truck, and can even tempt busy employers not to properly assess new recruits or agency staff.

Eastern European permits add to the confusion The confusion is exacerbated by operators holding fork truck permits obtained in Eastern European countries that do have national licensing schemes – which, nonetheless, may be quite incompatible with British best practice, and should not be taken as carte blanche to operate any given truck anywhere.

Despite such widespread uncertainty, the actual HSE guidance is clear: re-assessment is the key.

Rider-Operated Lift Trucks: Operator Training – Approved Code of Practice and Guidance – L117 states: "Even trained and experienced lift truck operators need to be re-assessed from time to time to ensure that they continue to operate lift trucks safely. This assessment, which should form part of a firm's normal monitoring procedure and be formally time-tabled to ensure that it is done at reasonable intervals, will indicate whether any further training is needed." Regular assessment of all operators enables employers to identify risks early and focus their training resources on the areas giving the biggest safety benefit. The difficulty for many busy companies is simply finding a reliable, objective methodology that is sufficiently comprehensive without wasting valuable truck operating hours.

The FLTA has taken steps to tackle this difficult grey area. We have worked with specialist software company Interactive Driving Systems to make a suitable system readily available online, via our website: www.forktruck.

org.uk.

Virtual Risk Manager FLT is a quick, easy-to-use tool, developed with feedback from safety-conscious truck users at the National Fork lift Truck Safety Conference. It is designed to make it far easier for employers to regularly reassess all their fork lift truck operators: all that is needed is a computer with internet access.

We hope it will help to provide clarity on this key issue, and encourage companies to take a far safer and less haphazard approach to monitoring and training; saving time, money and, potentially, lives.

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