First-ever IOSH fork-lift safety management qualification

Mentor launch IOSH-accredited course for those responsible for overseeing fork-lift truck operations

MENTOR Training have launched ‘IOSH Managing Safely: Forklift Operations’ – the first-ever IOSH-accredited safety management course tailored to the needs of those responsible for overseeing fork-lift truck operations.

Recognizing the important role in safety played by managers and supervisors, the four-day course has been developed in close partnership with IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) and is exclusive to Mentor.

Mentor director Stuart Taylor said: ‘In recent years we have seen the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) highlight management responsibilities and we’ve seen a rise in the numbers of managers, supervisors and directors prosecuted for neglect.’

According to HSE figures, the number of directors prosecuted under Section 37 of the Health & Safety Work Act in the five years leading up to 2010/11 increased by 330%, and during the same time period successful convictions increased from 50% of cases to 81%.

The new nine-module course builds upon the highly regarded IOSH Managing Safely course, which provides delegates from any industry with a practical understanding of what must be done to ensure safety in their teams’ work, but with added reference throughout to lift trucks and the environments in which they operate, as well as a full additional module specific to the challenges faced in materials handling.

The IOSH-approved course is delivered on site by skilled instructors qualified to NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) standards and with vast specialist experience in working with fork-lift trucks.

As well as being highly relevant, the course is visually engaging and encourages involvement and interaction throughout. Relevant facts, figures and case studies are incorporated alongside recognizable scenarios, to ensure that content is memorable and can be easily applied to real life.

Crucially, the course meets the legal requirements set out in HSE guidance document L117 (Rider-operated lift trucks. Operator training and safe use. Approved Code of Practice and guidance), the latest edition of which placed added emphasis on the importance of supervision.

However, Mentor say complying with the law is not the only reason managers and supervisors should attend the course, as Stuart Taylor explained: ‘This course has been developed to equip delegates with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to proactively manage fork-lift operations – not just safely and legally, but more effectively, too. Through this, they will discover that good practice has important practical and financial benefits that can make a real difference to their bottom-line profit.’