Walkie stacker and electric pallet jack training in New Zealand

Yes, in the sense that you need to be trained and competent. A walkie stacker is a powered industrial lift truck and the forklift Approved Code of Practice covers it. The Code doesn’t distinguish between a rider-operated counterbalance machine and a pedestrian-operated stacker; both lift loads on forks, both can drop them, and both need trained operators. Most companies record it the same way they record forklift competence: theory plus a practical assessment on the machine, which gives an operator’s certificate.

Yes. If it’s powered, it’s a powered industrial lift truck and the same reasoning applies. Some electric walkie stackers have masts that can lift 3 metres or more, and a loaded electric pallet jack can weigh well over a tonne. They don’t stop quickly, and the injuries they can cause are foot and ankle crush injuries and pedestrian strikes. An operator’s certificate (theory plus practical assessment) is the ideal route.

A manual hydraulic pump truck isn’t powered, so the forklift Code doesn’t apply to it. That doesn’t mean nothing applies: the HSWA duty to ensure workers are trained and competent for the work they do still stands, and manual pallet jacks account for a steady stream of back, hand and foot injuries – this is why manual handling training is important. What you don’t need is a certificate. What you do need is people who know how to load them properly, how to move them on slopes, and how not to run them over their own feet.

Some of the theory carries over, but the practical doesn’t. Load stability, capacity plates, pedestrian awareness and pre-start checks are common across powered lift trucks, which is why the theory component is similar. But the machine handling is genuinely different: you’re walking with the load rather than seated behind it, the controls are on a tiller rather than a wheel, the machine can pin you against a rack, and the turning behaviour is unlike a counterbalance. Operators need practical training and assessment specifically on the machine type they’ll use.

Three years, following the forklift Approved Code of Practice recommendation. Nothing separate applies to pedestrian-operated machines. As with forklifts, you can set a shorter interval if your operation warrants it, and you shouldn’t set a longer one, because exceeding what the Code recommends puts you in the position of arguing that your approach delivers an equal or better health and safety outcome.

Yes, if you are following a checklist which covers the main operational points and safety checks. Nothing requires an external assessor. A supervisor who understands the machine can assess an operator against a checklist and record the result. For pedestrian equipment this is often more practical than bringing someone in, because the assessment is short and the machines are usually in constant use. What matters is that the assessment is genuine, documented, and covers the specific machine and environment the operator works in.

A pallet jack lifts a pallet just clear of the floor to move it. A walkie stacker has a mast and lifts loads to height, so it can place pallets into racking. Both are usually pedestrian-operated, though ride-on versions exist. Both are powered industrial lift trucks under the same Code, and need their own practical training, because the way they behave under load is completely different.

A ride-on pallet jack or platform stacker changes the operator’s position, their visibility, the machine’s speed and what happens in a collision. An operator trained and assessed on a walk-behind machine hasn’t been assessed on a ride-on one. This is the same principle as attachments on a counterbalance forklift: the certificate records what the operator was actually assessed on, and that’s what it covers. If you have both types, assess both types.

Lead-acid batteries give off hydrogen while charging, which is flammable, and the electrolyte is corrosive. That makes the charging area a hazardous substances matter under the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 as well as a machine matter: it needs adequate ventilation, ignition sources kept away, appropriate protective equipment for anyone topping up or handling electrolyte, and a plan for spills. Lithium-ion batteries remove the hydrogen and acid issues and introduce their own around thermal runaway and charging equipment.

Ensure operators are trained and competent on each machine type they use, supervise them until they are, keep the training records, and manage refreshers before the three-year point. Beyond the operator, the pedestrian environment is usually where the real risk sits: separating people from machines, marking traffic routes, managing blind corners and controlling speed. A trained operator in a badly laid out warehouse is still an incident waiting to happen, and the layout is the employer’s responsibility rather than the operator’s.

No. A PCBU must not impose a levy or charge on a worker for anything done or provided in relation to health and safety, and operator training sits inside that. It can’t be deducted from wages and workers can’t be asked to pay and claim it back. If someone needs walkie stacker training because your business runs walkie stackers, the business pays for it.