Home : Technical advice & Faq's
Technical advice & FAQs
- Do I need to have a medical prior to operating a lift truck?
- Does a Lift Truck require an “MOT” like a car?
- How do I obtain a duplicate Certificate of Basic Training?
- What is the minimum age limit to operate a lift truck?
- What do I do if I am presented with a certificate issued outside the UK?
1. Do I need to have a medical prior to operating a lift truck?
A - All existing and potential lift truck operators should be screened for fitness before employment and at five-yearly intervals from age 40. A lift truck operator who continues after age 65 should have annual assessments for fitness. Assessment is also recommended after an absence of more than one month or after a shorter absence if it is likely that the illness may have affected fitness to operate lift trucks. This assessment is recommended to provide positive confirmation of fitness to operate lift trucks in these circumstances. Fitness to return to work when signed off by a GP may not indicate fitness to operate a lift truck. In any case each existing or potential operator should be treated individually. Applying the principle of individual assessment of fitness should ensure that people with disabilities are not disadvantaged. Some people with disabilities will have developed compensatory skills. Reasonable adjustment to work equipment, as can be required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, may enable a disabled person to operate a lift truck safely. Competence in an emergency must, however, always be considered.
2. Does a Lift Truck require an “MOT” like a car?
A – Every truck you have in service, including hired trucks, must have a current Report of Thorough Examination. This is like an MOT certificate. Both a Thorough Examination and an MOT are means of certifying that, at the time of testing, all components which have a bearing on safety have been formally inspected and assessed as being in a safe condition. The responsibility for obtaining this Report of Thorough Examination lies with you, the user of the truck (whether you own, lease or hire). The only exception may be for a truck operating under a short-term contract of less than a year, in which case the hiring company should provide you with a copy of the current report of Thorough Examination. This inspection must as a minimum be carried out at least every 12 months or in the case of lifting equipment for lifting persons or an accessory for lifting, at least every 6 months. You should ensure that the person carrying out a thorough examination has such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the lifting equipment.
3. How do I obtain a duplicate Certificate of Basic Training?
A. Prior to the inception of the National Operator Registration Scheme (NORS) all records of training and certificates were held locally by the individual RTITB Accredited Organisations. If you were trained by an RTITB Accredited Organisation prior to 2003, the training organisation will be the only people who can issue you with a duplicate certificate. No record will be held centrally by RTITB Ltd. Unfortunately, if the training organisation no longer exists or cannot produce a copy the only option open to you will be to undertake an experienced operator’s course, which is of a shorter duration than the initial novice training. Your nearest RTITB Accredited Organisation can be found by visiting www.rtitb.co.uk/centresearch Between 2003 and April 2006, registration on the NORS database was voluntary so we whilst we may hold a central record for you, many people were not registered. However we will always do our best to assist you in locating your Certificate of Basic Training. As of April 2006, all RTITB Accredited training must be registered on the NORS database, thus allowing you to obtain a duplicate of your certificate at any time, now or in the future, when undertaking training at one of our 580 sites across the UK and Ireland. NORS is a unique feature of RTITB Accreditation and remember if it’s NOT NORS its NOT RTITB.
4. What is the minimum age limit to operate a lift truck?
A. According to the Approved Code of Practice, 2005, “Employers should select potential lift-truck operators carefully. Those selected for training need to have the ability to do the job in a responsible manner and the potential to become competent operators”. With regards to specific age restrictions for the operation of lift trucks the ACOP outlines that, “Operators of lift trucks on docks premises must be aged at least 18 years”. On alternative premises it is stated that, “Young persons (under 18 years of age) are often exposed to risks to their health and safety when using work equipment as a consequence of their immaturity, lack of experience or absence of awareness of existing or potential risks. Therefore, such young people should not be allowed to operate lift trucks without adequate supervision unless they have the necessary competence and maturity, as well as having successfully completed appropriate training. Children under minimum school leaving age should never operate lift trucks”. (A young person must remain in education until the last Friday in June in the school year that they reach the age of 16, www.dfes.gov.uk)
5. What do I do if I am presented with a certificate issued outside the UK?
A. The HSE would expect an employer to assess the competence of any new operators as part f their general risk control effort under the HSAW (section 2), management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (regulations 3 and 5) and UWER (regulation 9).The possession of any documentation other than a valid certificate of training awarded by a training provider accredited by a HSC recognised accrediting body should not necessarily be taken by an employer as evidence that an operator has received training to the standards described in the ACOP L117, regardless of the country in which the training was provided. RTITB will therefore expect that accredited organisations will confirm operators’ skills by assessment and provide training based on that assessment. In most circumstances it is likely that holders of certificates of Lift Truck operator training issued by organisations outside the UK (i.e. organisations not accredited by a HSC recognised accrediting body) will require training specified by RTITB Trainers Guides under the guidance provided for “Existing, untrained Lift Truck Operators, e.g. 3 days training at a candidate, instructor, truck ratio of 3:1:1”.
