Forklift Certification: Do my operators need to be certified?
Forklift certification might be easy to overlook, but not knowing this information can lead to an incident and/or an injury. According to OSHA, Powered Industrial Trucks (forklift) was one of the top 10 most frequently cited standards by OSHA
So, do they need to be certified?
Yes, OSHA requires it. They don’t certify the operators, they leave that to the organization. There are companies where operators (or potential operators) can go to get certified prior to applying, but some organizations prefer to do their own as part of the on-boarding process anyway.
The hazards and environment are best addressed at the site, so getting a general forklift operator certification isn’t always a guarantee of anything, especially since many of the outside certification companies don’t do any actual operational work. Most are on-line and cover basic safety, but how they do when actually operating a lift truck is typically left to the hiring organization.
Accidents Happen. Just How Often?
Let’s talk numbers. We pulled OSHA data from 2015 to 2023, and the stats are eye-opening. In 2023 alone:
- 8,943 severe injury reports
- 7,336 hospitalizations
- 2,424 amputations
And that’s across all industries. But if we zoom in on “Forklift, order picker, platform truck-powered” incidents, we find 455 severe injury accidents—about 5.09% of the total. Worse yet, 92 of those cases involved amputations.
Now, let’s get real—do you really want to roll the dice on safety?
To Certify or Not to Certify—Is That Even a Question?
Forklift accidents are serious. And while OSHA doesn’t publicly differentiate between certified and uncertified operators in their injury reports, here’s what we do know:
- If a forklift accident involves an uncertified operator, OSHA takes that very seriously during investigations.
- Non-compliance can lead to penalties—and those fines aren’t cheap.
Still not convinced?
In 2023, there were 1,538,299 reported cases of workplace illness or injury—and 90% of those were injuries. Transportation and warehousing accounted for 21% of them, making it one of the top four industries for workplace injuries. That means your industry is already under the microscope.
And here’s the kicker—OSHA’s fine for uncertified forklift operators in 2024 is up to $16,550 per violation.
So, is it worth the risk? Not even close. Get your operators certified. Keep your workplace safe. And avoid the fines, injuries, and headaches that come with cutting corners.
