I often begin my forklift training classes by asking the participants about their own experiences and specifically whether they learned to drive a forklift - before or after they received their safety theory class instruction. Most participants of a certain age or generation almost inevitably say that they learned to drive a forklift long before they ever had any formal training. I find it interesting, and encouraging, that younger participants answer differently. Typically, there appear to be a new generation of workers who receive the safety theory training before their company managers ever allow them to operate a machine as potentially dangerous as a forklift.
Last week, in a class of 12 forklift operators, there were two new, younger employees of a cosmetics manufacturer who were being given their safety theory training and had absolutely never operated a forklift before. Another, older, member of their group shared his experience while working for a national hardware retailer earlier in his working career. Lenny told us how he had had a "gut feeling" that operating a forklift was dangerous and suggested to his manager that maybe he should receive some formal training. The company's response was that "they would do the training 'in-house'". Of course, Lenny explained, he never received any real training. The 'in-house' training referred to by the manager was a co-worker giving him a brief description of the company rules - ones routinely ignored by virtually everyone.
In a world where lift truck accidents account for tens of thousands of injuries each year and where there are statistically 3.25 deaths annually in Ontario alone, it is critical that employers understand that the importance of training and the importance of the timing of that training. Indeed, a truly wise employer will recognize the "gut-instincts" of a new employee as an asset and encourage inexperienced workers to come forward and ask for safety related training as part of a checks and balances approach to making sure that any "cracks" in the health and safety management system are "sealed". The large retail chain employer that lost Lenny, chose to view him as a liability and as one who was inclined to cost the organization money. In fact, the company lost a valuable asset. They lost an employee with the ability to perceive danger, even without the benefit of formal training. That should be the kind of employee that every employer values as one who can save the company money and strengthen its corporate health and safety culture.
Health and safety culture is not just a motto to be trotted out at official corporate functions, it must be thought as a living, breathing organism that needs to be carefully nurtured in order for it to thrive. That is how an enlightened organization must be managed in order to be successful.
