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725 Forklift Safety Program Management
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Performance Test for Forklift Operators

Prior to qualifying an operator, it's important to evaluate performance to determine any areas of deficiency in knowledge or skills.

 employee performing forlift performance test.
Prior to qualifying an operator, it's important to evaluate performance to determine any areas of deficiency in knowledge

Here is a sample performance checklist for use in the evaluation phase of operator qualification. You should include this evaluation as part of the operator certification. The operator must perform each of the actions below to the satisfaction of the evaluator to qualify. Any areas of deficiency in knowledge or skills must result in operator retraining.

Operator Certification

The employer should formally certify that each operator has been trained and evaluated.

Sample certified forklift operator Card
The employer should formally certify that each operator has been trained and evaluated.

The employer should do the following to properly document the training.

  • The written certification should include, at a minimum, the name of the operator, the date of the training, the date of the evaluation, and the identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation.
  • The operator must have been evaluated in the current workplace within the last three years.
  • If the operator had previous forklift training, the employer must document that the training covered the required topics described above.

Maintaining Records

The employer must keep a record that shows that each forklift operator has been trained. We recommend keeping training records for as long as the operator is employed plus at least five additional years or as the employer deems appropriate.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

2-5. To be certified as a forklift operator, he or she must have been evaluated in the current workplace _____.