10 Free forklift training courses

A forklift is a powerful and useful piece of heavy machinery that allows for easy movement and storage of products. It is a tool that is used each and every day across different industries. Although it helps make the movement of freight easier and more efficient, forklifts can quickly go from useful tool to dangerous moving item very quickly. Every year, thousands of people are injured, or even are killed on the job due to bad forklift safety. Most of these injuries can be prevented, and the easiest method of prevention is training. Employers do themselves and their employees a favor when they ensure that they have the most up-to-date resources available to them, which play a significant role in reducing workplace accidents.

Here are some free training courses to consider when educating your employees about forklift safety.

1. SC Training (formerly EdApp), Forklift Operation Safety

The ‘Forklift Operation Safety’ course builds on how to safely operate a forklift from pre-operative checks to maneuvering and load handling. This 3-part course covers all of the essentials for appropriate and safe use of forklifts, including pre-operation, travelling and maneuvering, and load handling. If you are using forklifts in your role or are interested in understanding the best practices, look no further than this course.

SC Training (formerly EdApp) is an award-winning, free microlearning platform that will allow your employees to learn workplace safety procedures in small, easy-to-digest increments.

2. OSHA Train, Basic Forklift Safety

Every year nearly 100 workers are killed and 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift mishaps. This course contains general information about the kinds of forklifts commonly available, the principles of physics that allow a forklift to lift and move heavy loads safely, some basic operator safety rules and safety while servicing a forklift.

3. XO Safety, Training compilations

There are many different aspects of forklift safety training, from how to drive safely to appropriately taking care of the machine itself. XO Safety hosts a collection of short training videos on a myriad of different topics. These training videos can be used for safety meetings or refresher training and can be integrated with additional resources you may have.

4. Forklift Certificate Institute, Free training videos

Similar to XO Safety, the Forklift Certificate Institute offers a paid certificate that people can opt to take. However, it also provides a host of free videos that anyone can watch if they want to learn more about forklift maintenance, forklift safety, and how to operate and drive a forklift. These videos can be a great starting point for someone new to the industry and want to learn more.

5. Vivid Learning Systems, Forklift Operator

Forklift accidents rank in the top 10 of all OSHA citations. OSHA estimates that over 1 million forklifts are used in workplaces across America which shows how crucial forklift operator training is to worker safety. Forklift accidents are expensive, with serious injuries or fatalities, and damage to goods and machines, which is why forklift operator safety training is crucial to any workplace environment. A lot of forklifts are set up like your basic automobile, with a steering wheel, a foot pedal to accelerate, and four wheels. But there are major differences. In this course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of operating a forklift, stability and capacity, and load handling.

6. Keller, Forklift Training

A forklift is a powered, mechanical device that is used to move or lift loads. Although this seems like a simple task, forklifts can cause serious injury or death if they are misused or if the operator isn’t properly trained on how to use the equipment safely.

This training program helps satisfy the forklift operator training requirements under OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks Standard (1910.178(l)). Specifically, it is designed to help learners choose, inspect, and operate a forklift in a safe way, protecting themselves and their coworkers from the potential hazards associated with their use. This program is useful for new or refresher safety training in the event of an incident or near-miss, poor evaluation, or changes in the workplace or type of forklift used.

The full program requires users to pay to access, however there is a free preview offered that still provides helpful information.

7. BisGroup, Sit-Down Forklift Pre-Shift Inspection

This micro-learning module is part of the Mobile Equipment Pre-Shift Inspection Series. This short course covers the basics of pre-shift inspections for counterbalanced forklifts. Course topics will cover the importance of pre-operational inspections, visual inspection requirements, and operational inspection procedures. Unfortunately, this collection isn’t made for mobile, so training must be done at a desktop.

8. WorkSafeBC, Fields of Vision

This free online training resource is best meant for certified forklift workers who may need a refresher on some important safety information. Those with a few years of hands-on experience are more likely to gain the most from this free online training course. This course in particular focuses on the field of vision while driving a forklift, and the limitations the vehicle puts on seeing your surrounding clearly. It is also better suited for desktop learning, meaning that training can’t happen on-the-go.

9. Canada Safety Council, Forklift safety

While forklifts offer a practical materials handling solution for many businesses, each year they continue to be associated with workplace deaths and injuries. Forklift incidents can be prevented, especially when employers and workers work together to improve safety and health at work. This course can be done entirely online, however there is a minimal fee that must be paid in order to access the course.

10. Forklift test questions

Although this isn’t a course per se, another way to see how in-depth your knowledge is on a certain subject is to test yourself. This resource will allow you to see the types of questions that are part of OSHA exams and see how you rank.

Are you interested in workplace training, or even adapting your existing training platform to one of the top LMS platforms? Visit SC Training (formerly EdApp) today to see how they can help. SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s multi-award-winning mobile app is the new standard in eLearning and offers support for microlearning, mobile learning, spaced repetition and gamification.