Are you missing out?

Businesses should not treat training as a tick box exercise, because what do they gain from doing this? In fact, they may be missing out on a return on their investment. RTITB workplace transport training ensures businesses meet their legal obligations while providing an opportunity to increase operational efficiency and reduce business risk.  It can also increase margins by helping to reduce both damage and downtime.

According to the UK Health & Safety Executive, over 18% of lift truck incidents occur as a result of mechanical failure.  However, are employers aware whether their operators are doing pre-use inspections for materials handling equipment correctly? This is a crucial element of safe forklift truck operation, yet data collected by RTITB showed that 65% of forklift operators didn’t know how to conduct the driving and braking pre-use check properly.  

{EMBED(782416)}

Ensuring forklift drivers are trained on how to properly conduct a pre-use inspection will ensure that small problems are identified and addressed. This prevents lift trucks from becoming unsafe but can also mean that forklift trucks do not need to be removed from service and therefore prevents any negative impact on productivity.  Employers can also benefit from reduced cost of truck ownership and contract penalties, and improved battery life.  

Most importantly these checks help to prevent incidents and injuries so appropriate training is essential for ensuring that operators know how frequently trucks should be checked, what checks must be done, how this varies for different equipment and what their legal duty of care is. Managers and supervisors must also be properly trained to assess whether the correct procedures are followed. 

{EMBED(782417)}

It is imperative that those delivering training are suitably qualified to do so as the standard of instructors is crucial to the success of training programmes.  RTITB Instructor Academy ‘train the trainer’ courses ensure that training delivered helps improve safety and efficiency while reducing risk and cuttings costs.  

For convenience, courses can be delivered on employer premises anywhere in the world or at the RTITB Instructor Academy ideally located in the West Midlands, UK.  Courses include Lift Truck Instructor, Driver CPC Instructor, Yardshunter Instructor, Banskman Instructor, Crane Instructor and Industrial and Commercial Instructor, LGV Instructor and LGV Assessor.

To find out more, contact Nicola Bird on +44(0)1952520214 or email [email protected] 

High quality standards are maintained

Selecting the correct training provider is key to ensuring that training is being delivered to the appropriate standard. RTITB is dedicated to working with employers to make this process easier.  For example, in 2016 RTITB launched the first ever LGV Driver Training Standard to help assure a consistent high standard of training for HGV drivers across the UK. Using an approved training organisation that meets the LGV Driver Training Standard provides assurance that training will be conducted to a high standard.  All instructors training under the standard use regularly updated training materials to ensure they always fully up to date and delivering the high standard of training the industry requires.

The Driver Training Standard is structured around the four modules required for vocational LGV licence acquisition. A series of detailed Instructor Guides and accompanying training resources set out a training programme which ensures best practice preparation for the statutory tests and then goes on to deal with the ‘real world’ skills and knowledge which make a driver truly ‘work ready’. It sets out the standards that must be met for vehicles, instructors, administration, facilities, training content and resources to ensure that they meet the requirements for professional and effective driver training. 

For more information, please contact Jane Hughes on +44(0)1955 520207.