Page 8 - Commercial Vehicle Engineer - June 2021

NEWS
C
LIFT TRUCK ‘SAFETY TIME BOMB’ CLAIMED
A lift truck ‘safety time bomb’ could be
developing as thousands of drivers are operating without up-to-date
training, according to statistics from workplace transport training accrediting body RTITB.
Statistics from RTITB show that counterbalance lift truck operator tests declined by 24.7% from 2019 to 2020, accounting for around 10,000 operators across all candidate types (novice, refresher, conversion). The number of counterbalance lift truck operators being tested for the first time was down by
29.2%, with an even bigger decline
of 32.8% for reach truck operators. Overall, across all candidate types, there were around 2,400 fewer reach truck operator tests in 2020, compared |to the previous year.
“Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of operator tests taking place each year was fairly steady, but we saw declines in all areas in 2020,” said Laura Nelson, managing director of RTITB. “Covid-19 did of course present risks and challenges for training and assessment, but operators without the correct training also pose a serious danger to the supply chain.
“With the number of new operators down by around 30% and overwhelming demand in the supply chain, it begs the question of who is filling these gaps? Are untrained people operating trucks? Or are qualified operators working extremely long hours to cover the deficit and risking fatigue, which could also be jeopardising safe operation.”
Refresher training also saw a significant decline, with counterbalance and reach truck operator tests down by 22.2% and 23% respectively from 2019 to 2020.
“Worryingly this means that almost a quarter of the candidates due for refresher training are potentially out
8 JUNE 2021 > COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER