Driving tests

Should forklift operators wear a hat while working?

There are several options for hats for forklift operators. A hard hat is often required where a work area may have falling objects. However, a forklift operator might want to wear a cap with a longer visor or a sun

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Roller doors and forklift safety

Roller doors are an area of risk for forklift operations; collisions with them are frequent. If a forklift hits a roller door, it can bend the door or pull it off its tracks. This might mean that it’s impossible to

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What size forklift do you need to lift a shipping container?

Shipping containers are usually lifted or moved by one of six vehicles: Empty container handler Loaded container handler (a heavier version of the empty container handler) Reach stacker Crane Straddle carrier Sideloader Forklift The first five usually lift from the

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Does your forklift need warning beacons and reversing alarms?

Are warning lights, alarms and other safety devices legally required to operate a forklift? There are thousands of forklifts still in operation that were purchased over 30 years ago. These are perfectly good forklifts operating in all kinds of capacities.

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How do you charge a forklift battery safely?

With the right care and maintenance battery-powered forklifts can be recharged many times, and the batteries will last several years. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for charging. You’ll need to know this process as part of having either

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What’s the minimum age for driving a forklift?

Minimum ages for driving a forklift vary by the type of forklift qualification required. This section is for New Zealand, see the end of the article for other countries. Driving a forklift on a road with a gross laden weight under

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Do drivers of LPG forklifts need a dangerous goods qualification?

As more and more safety compliance responsibility is heaped on companies, some are finding it difficult to achieve dangerous goods compliance when they are using forklifts with LPG cylinders. Cylinders attached to a forklift are not counted as being in

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Can you tow with a forklift?

Forklifts are not designed for towing, but there are three common scenarios where a forklift might be used to move vehicles using an attachment. Because attachments are custom engineered for specific purposes they can be designed to enable forklifts to

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Can a forklift speed limiter improve safety?

We wrote about options for managing forklift speed in your workplace, and what a forklift speed limit should be for your workplace. One of the methods to restrict forklift speed is to use a speed limiter. What is a forklift

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Can you use two forklifts to lift a load?

While there’s nothing in the Approved Code of Practice that says you cannot use two forklifts to lift a load, it is not advisable as a lot can go wrong. The scenario is quite common: a load arrives on a

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How can you control forklift speed in your workplace?

Forklifts can become unstable when driven in excess of a safe speed, goods can be damaged and wear and tear is increased, so it’s essential that a forklift speed limit is established. There are many ways in which this can

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Do you need a class 2 licence to drive a forklift?

If you only drive the forklift in areas which are not classed as roads, then you can drive any forklift, even without a current class 1 licence, as long as you have an appropriate qualification such as a forklift operator’s

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Reach truck licence for forklift drivers

Many employers use the phrase forklift licence. There is no such thing (as we have discussed before): there is a forklift operator’s certificate and there is an F endorsement (also, you can do the two together). Those are the only

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If you have a forklift operator’s certificate, can you do an F endorsement separately?

If you already have an operator’s certificate (or OSH certificate) but you want to drive a forklift on the road, can you simply do the F endorsement qualification or do you have to do the whole operator’s certificate again? It

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Can you drive a forklift on a private road without an F endorsement?

To operate a forklift on a public road (see the definition of a road) a forklift operator must have an F endorsement. The forklift must have a current warrant of fitness and registration, lights and indicators. However, there is an

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Types of forklift accidents

There are five main types of forklift accident: tipping, speed, vehicle impact, fumes and reckless driving. These can result in injury or death to the driver or any pedestrians that the forklift or its load impacts, plus damage to property.

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What are forklift proximity detection systems?

Every year, a large number of injuries are caused by pedestrians being hit by forklifts. As forklifts are extremely heavy, they can create fatal crush injuries quite easily. The best solution is to completely separate pedestrians and forklifts but this

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How to measure wear on a forklift’s forks

Your forks will wear out as you use them – abrasion against pallets, racking, the ground and other objects will gradually make them thinner and thinner. They can also suffer distortion through accidents and overloading. A fork can have up

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What health and safety rules should you enforce for truck drivers visiting your workplace?

If you have pedestrian and heavy machinery traffic alongside truck movements in your warehouse or yard, you must have a set of health and safety rules and a site induction to ensure that accidents don’t happen. Truck drivers and pedestrian

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Do you need to train and assess your employees on every type of forklift or pallet jack they use?

Different types of forklifts and pallet jacks serve different purposes and it’s not uncommon for a company to have at least two types. The main types of forklift are: Counterbalance Reach truck Walkie and electric-powered hand truck Side loader Order

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