SKILLS & TRAINING
HAS COVID-19 CHANGED FORKLIFT TRAINING FOR GOOD? By Laura Nelson, managing director for RTITB T
hroughout the Covid-19 pandemic, forklift operators have been more in demand than ever before, helping to keep critical supply chains running. And although the needs of the country changed almost overnight back in March 2020, the requirement for safe operation, best practice, and high training standards remains.
As an industry, during the pandemic it has been necessary to change the way we do things to ensure that lift truck training can continue, while keeping people safe, and meeting ever-changing government and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. As well as causing us all to stock up on face masks and hand gel (and implement many more new processes besides), this has also manifested in a marked increase in demand for eLearning solutions – something many supply chain organisations were strongly opposed to before. That said, we still often hear from many firms that forklift eLearning “isn’t allowed” or “isn’t compliant”, which simply isn’t true.
The HSE has been very clear that forklift training should not stop where it is essential or urgent, but that organisations should take steps to limit risk. One of the HSE’s specific suggestions is that employers consider using eLearning to help keep people safe. However, with eLearning being relatively new within the sector, for many the questions remain: what is eLearning and how does it help?
WHAT IS ELEARNING?
So, first the basics. eLearning is the term generally used to refer to any form of training delivered digitally and is sometimes referred to as ‘online training’. Often it consists of slides or screens of training materials that a candidate works through, either at their own pace or under time constraints. Tests and online assessments may also be included to confirm understanding. It is often candidate driven but can also be interactive with a trainer.
34 FEBRUARY 2021 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
The most important thing to remember is that the correct training is vital for ensuring safety relating to lift truck operation. Of course, not everything can be taught during eLearning - there will always be a practical element in teaching novice trainees to use a piece of potentially lethal equipment like a forklift - but it can help employers reduce face to face contact time, which in turn helps to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission in training.
With novice lift truck operator training, eLearning can be used to deliver the entire theory part of training, so the candidate is ready for practical training later. This helps to reduce training bottlenecks further down the road, and minimise the time that operators are out of critical operations to attend training. For instance, RTITB’s, eTruck UK eLearning solution can help to reduce face to face time by up to two days per Basic forklift operator course, for every trainee.
But the benefits of eLearning do not just apply to novice training. For refresher training, experienced and qualified lift truck and plant operators can do RTITB eLearning courses to top up their knowledge. This is helpful if it’s not an appropriate time to attend a full in-person training course, and provides a Covid-secure alternative, with no face-to-face contact time or travel needed. What’s more, eLearning can be completed from anywhere, including at home (which some candidates much prefer), and can enable an operator to extend their refresher period, supporting legal compliance.
THE RISE OF ELEARNING
There are clear reasons why eLearning has seen growth during the pandemic. MHE operations are already experiencing more than enough disruption with operators on furlough, self-isolating, or a reduced workforce on shift due to social distancing measures. eLearning helps by preventing training from being yet another disruption. It can be done
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