You normally don’t associate fun and entertainment with a lift truck. Not long ago a lift truck operator released a video on YouTube showing off a range of stunts he performed while on his equipment. It didn’t take authorities long to charge and convict the operator $1,200 in fines and require 50 hours of community service. He was also required to take OHS course at his own expense.
Everyone wants to have fun, whether at work or play, but operating a lift truck is serious business. There are many opportunities to test your skills and have fun doing it is a safe manner.
Training Simulators Can Fun And Educational
A training simulator allows the operator to sit in a cab that resembles the real forklift cab. A computer program will take him through various situations and procedures to test the skill level of the operator. This allows the operator to make a mistake without consequences and hone his operator skills at the same time. Many high quality simulators allow adjustments so varying degrees of difficulty in operation may be tested. This in itself may not be an event, but friendly competition may be established between different operators to see who can go the longest without an error or achieve a higher skill level than the other.
Forklift Derbies Can Be Fun!
Different companies and professional organizations often will host an event for employees or groups of individuals interested in honing their skills as an operator. The competitions can be set up to test and score operators as they move difficult loads, work their way through an obstacle course, or perform other tasks designed to test their skills and speed.
Rather than just testing and measuring skills, some competitions will compare one brand to another. This is a great way to determine which equipment will perform best for your company’s circumstances. It’s also a good way to see what different brands have in the way of new technology and features.
Specific Needs And Deeds
Similar to the forklift derby mentioned above, there are competitions that focus on how well the driver can operate the machine. Difficult jobs such as moving a large load of cargo or a load of material that is unusually difficult to handle are set up. They have to make their way around obstacles or other barriers established to impair their performance. The winner would be the one to perform the required deeds in the quickest manner with the fewest errors.
Working with a forklift is serious business and safety shouldn’t be taken lightly. This doesn’t mean however that you can’t have fun, too. Meeting and competing with other operators is a great way to network, see what’s new in equipment features, and improve your skills at the same time.
Christine O’Kelly is an author for the IL forklift experts at RHI Lifts(http://www.rhilifts.com/). They offer a full range of parking and storage lifts as well as several style of lift truck. Chicago RHI Lifts also offers full maintenance and repair programs. (http://www.rhilifts.com/)
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