It's so easy to operate and drive a forklift that almost anyone can learn how to drive one very quickly. The forklift is an essential piece of equipment in many places such as factories, construction sites, warehouses, ship yards, etc. That's because the forklift is highly maneuverable, even in narrow alleys. Forklifts are often seen zipping around tight corners, moving heavy boxes or containers, and it's one of the most efficient way to get things organized.

But unlike cars on the roads, there are no strict set of safety objects like road signs, traffic lights and so on. You can imagine what it could be like if there are many forklifts traveling at high speeds on a ship yard, unloading goods from containers. Certainly, there will be some danger involved, especially during the night when there are many dark blind spots.

There are close to a million forklifts in the United States, and according to the OSHA, there are close to thirty five thousand serious injuries each year and an additional sixty thousand not so serious injuries. Every year, there is an estimated eighty five fatalities caused by forklift accidents. With such alarming figures, and such widespread use of this little machine, the need to train personnel working on forklift infested premises is an urgent one.

Actually, many of such accidents can be prevented if proper safety guidelines are observed. But employees are not aware of such safety principles if they are not well trained. For instance, what to look out for when there are pedestrians in the vicinity. Or what should supervisors do when supervising forklifts in operation.

Employers can turn to forklift safety videos to provide adequate training to their employees if necessary. Such videos should point out potentially hazardous situations, what are some of the common mistakes made by employees, and how to correct these mistakes. The better videos should go into detail about forklift mechanisms.

Make understanding the forklifts an essential part of the training. For instance, learn how forklifts are operated, how they move, and so on. Having at least a basic understanding of these machines, even for those who do not operate them, will help to prevent accidents. Say a pedestrian works in an environment with many forklifts but does not need to drive one himself. However, he is aware that forklifts can swerve suddenly at acute angles and will therefore keep a safe distance in the presence of these forklifts, thus avoiding potential accidents.

So you see, even having the slightest bit of awareness helps. When it comes to safety matters, lives are involved and nothing should be compromised. Invest in a little time to allow and encourage employees to go through the video training sessions and the work place will eventually develop a safety consciousness that has never been there before.