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HSE STATEMENT
Covid-19: Training for industrial lift trucks
5th January 2021
Employers are required to ensure that their staff receive proper lift truck training to be trained and competent in operating any industrial lift truck equipment they use. Initial or refresher training may be necessary for new starters, for existing staff using new types of equipment, or as a refresher for current employees.
Lift truck operators, even those who are trained and experienced, need to be routinely monitored in the workplace. Where necessary, they should be retested or given refresher training to ensure they continue to operate lift trucks safely. Employers may find that implementing automatic refresher training or a retest after a set period (for example, every 3 years) is the best way to ensure staff remain competent.
To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, employers and training providers should apply the hierarchy of control to manage the risks associated with training and consider:
• Whether the training needs to be done urgently, based on their own assessment of drivers’ competence and experience;
• If there are other staff with the appropriate training who could carry out the tasks on a short-term basis;
• Checking in advance of the training proceeding that no one is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms;
• Providing a system for entering and leaving sites that maintains social distancing and minimizes touch points and shared contact surfaces, such as pens, pointers, or touch screens;
• Ensuring that staff and all visitors have easy and safe access to toilets and hand washing facilities with hot and cold running water, and that hand washing is carried out at regular intervals;
• Considering how social distancing can be maintained, which may mean reducing class sizes where suitable distancing cannot be otherwise maintained;
• Sanitizing shared surfaces, such as equipment controls, between users;
• Providing fresh air ventilation wherever possible by opening windows or doors, as mechanical ventilation should not be set to air recirculation mode;
• Considering the use of alternative learning methods such as e-learning or webinars where practicable;
• Minimizing face-to-face work wherever possible.
Face coverings are not PPE and should not be used as a substitute for suitable risk control measures.
Employers should consult the Government COVID-19 guidance at Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) when deciding how training can be carried out safely.
It remains the employer’s responsibility to ensure that no one operates lift trucks on any premises without authorization. Authorization should only be given where employees have completed suitable training, including instructor training, in line with the guidance at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg462.pdf and have achieved an appropriate level of operating ability.
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