OSHA Forklift Certification and Online Training: What the Rule Requires
Short answer.
Under federal OSHA, forklift operator training has three parts: formal instruction, practical training, and an evaluation of the operator in the workplace. An online course can cover the formal instruction. It cannot cover the other two, and it does not certify anyone. The employer completes the practical training and the workplace evaluation, then certifies the operator in writing (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) and (l)(6)). California says the same in 8 CCR 3668. Our online course is the classroom part only.
Which course do I need?
One course serves both rules. It follows federal OSHA's powered industrial truck standard and California's Title 8, Section 3668, so there is no separate federal and Cal/OSHA version. It is the online classroom part of operator training.
| Your situation | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Forklift operator anywhere in the US, including California | Forklift Operator Training, Classroom Part (Federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA) Online Training | Capacitación para operadores de montacargas, parte teórica (OSHA federal y Cal/OSHA) |
| Short crew meeting on forklift safety, separate from operator training | Forklift Safety Toolbox Talk (English and Spanish) | |
The toolbox talk is a printable crew meeting with a sign-in sheet. It does not replace operator training. To compare other courses, see the Federal OSHA online courses, the Cal/OSHA online courses, Cursos en línea en español or the M Squared Training Academy hub.
What the rule requires, and what online covers
Paragraph (l) of 29 CFR 1910.178 is the operator training rule. California's version is 8 CCR 3668, with the same structure.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Federal paragraph | Can an online course do it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal instruction | Lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape or written material | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) | Yes. Online courses fit here. |
| Practical training | Demonstrations by the trainer and practical exercises by the trainee | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) | No. Trainees practice under direct supervision. |
| Evaluation of the operator | Performance evaluated in the workplace | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) | No. It is done at the workplace. |
| Certification | The employer certifies each operator was trained and evaluated, with the operator name, the training date, the evaluation date and who did the training and evaluation | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6) | No. Only the employer certifies. |
| Evaluation at least every three years | Each operator's performance is evaluated at least once every three years | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii) | No. It is an evaluation of the operator's performance. |
| Refresher training | Required when an operator is seen operating unsafely, has an accident or near-miss, gets a poor evaluation, is assigned a different type of truck, or when a workplace condition changes | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(ii) | Online can cover the instruction. The required evaluation of its effectiveness is separate. |
In California the matching subsections of 8 CCR 3668 are (b)(3) for the combination of training, (d)(1) and (d)(2) for refreshers and the three-year evaluation, and (f) for certification.
What our online course covers
The course is the classroom part. It teaches the general truck and workplace topics from the standard, plus a lesson for California workers. The lessons are:
- Your training and your employer's duties
- Your truck: topics, markings and guards
- Checking your truck before you use it
- Capacity and stability
- Driving and working around people
- Handling loads
- Ramps, docks, parking and other places
- Fuel, batteries and hazardous places
- Working in California
It does not teach your truck type, your attachments or your site, and it has no hands-on practice on a truck. The standard lists those as topics the operator needs training on, and they are the employer's to deliver.
What the employer still has to do
Passing the online final exam finishes the classroom part. It does not complete the employer's duties. The employer must:
- Give practical training: demonstrations by the trainer and practical exercises by the trainee, with trainees operating a truck only under direct supervision (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(i) and (ii)).
- Evaluate the operator's performance in the workplace (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii)).
- Certify that the operator has been trained and evaluated, with the operator's name, the training date, the evaluation date and the identity of the person who did the training and evaluation (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6)).
- Re-evaluate each operator at least once every three years, and give refresher training when one of the listed triggers occurs (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)).
Our course is built around this split. Your employer evaluates your hands-on skills at the workplace using the M Squared hands-on checklist, which is linked from the course page. The evaluator must be physically present, because M Squared does not accept a video or remote evaluation. Your employer sends the signed checklist to M Squared, and M Squared issues the certificate of completion after it reviews the checklist. That certificate is a record of the course. It is not the employer's certification under (l)(6), which only the employer can make. The same duties for California employers are in 8 CCR 3668(b) through (f).
Questions you may have
Can I get forklift certification online?
Not from an online course alone. The standard requires a combination of formal instruction, practical training, and an evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace, and it lists "interactive computer learning" as one form of formal instruction (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii)). The certification itself is the employer's: "The employer shall certify that each operator has been trained and evaluated" (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6)). An online course covers the first part. Your employer does the rest, then certifies.
How often does a forklift operator need recertification?
The standard does not use the word recertification. It requires an evaluation of each operator's performance at least once every three years (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii); 8 CCR 3668(d)(2)). Refresher training, with an evaluation of its effectiveness, is also required sooner when an operator is seen operating unsafely, is involved in an accident or near-miss, gets an evaluation showing unsafe operation, is assigned a different type of truck, or when a workplace condition changes in a way that could affect safe operation (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(ii)).
Who certifies and evaluates a forklift operator?
The employer certifies. All operator training and evaluation must be done by persons who have "the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence" (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(iii)). In a 2003 letter, OSHA said a trainer has enough experience if the trainer "has the practical skills and judgment to be able to himself operate the equipment safely" in the employer's workplace (OSHA letter, July 23, 2003).
Is my forklift card from my last job good at a new employer?
The new employer still has a duty to certify. The standard says training in a topic is not repeated if the operator was previously trained in it, the training fits the truck and conditions, and the operator "has been evaluated and found competent" (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(5)). A 1999 OSHA letter says employers hiring operators who claim prior training must evaluate them, may but need not use written documentation of the earlier training, and that "Some training on site regarding specific factors of the new operator's workplace is likely always to be necessary" (OSHA letter, February 16, 1999).
Does forklift training apply on construction sites?
Yes. Section 1926.602(d) covers powered industrial truck operator training for construction and notes that the requirements for construction work "are identical to those set forth at § 1910.178(l)" (29 CFR 1926.602(d)). The same three parts and the same employer certification apply.
What does forklift operator training have to cover?
Initial training covers truck-related topics (operating instructions and warnings for the truck types the operator will use, controls, steering, visibility, forks and attachments, capacity, stability, inspection, refueling or battery charging, and operating limitations) and workplace-related topics (surface conditions, loads, stacking, pedestrian traffic, narrow aisles, hazardous locations, ramps, ventilation and other unique hazards). The employer may leave out topics it can show do not apply to safe operation in its workplace (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(3)).
How training works here
You take the classroom part online, at your own pace, on a phone or a computer, and pass a final exam. Your employer then does the hands-on evaluation and signs the checklist. If you have a question about the material, call an M Squared trainer at 949-954-6581, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific time.
Related: engines, forklifts and other fuel-burning equipment also come up in the carbon monoxide courses (Federal OSHA, Cal/OSHA, federal en español, Cal/OSHA en español). Fleets switching to lithium-ion trucks have their own training and charging questions, covered in Forklift Operator Training When You Switch to Lithium-Ion. Rules differ in some states with their own OSHA-approved plans, so check your state in the OSHA training requirements by state finder.