Forklift training scheme
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HORROR? What horror? Forgive the Callaghanesque response but my initial reaction to the article (CM, March 12) on a national scheme for training and certification of industrial truck operators and instructors was to expect an account of some particularly nasty accident.
What I found, in fact, was a brave attempt to summarise a necessarily complex scheme but which, understandably perhaps (considering that no approach had been made to its authors), incorporated a number of basic misconceptions. May I make a few important points to clarify matters?
NITTACC is not "formed to run the forklift instructor courses which the RTITB ran . . ."; neither is it "planning to introduce driver training . . ." The handful of NITTACC staff will not be involved in competing in an already crowded sector of the training market, but instead will be wholly involved in setting standards, monitoring performance, examining potential instructors for a national register, and providing specialist advice. For many years this has been the role of the RTITB. However, the reduced scale of its activities and resources makes is unlikely for the future.
The important additional feature is, of course, that of national certification (not licensing) of operators. This will provide both HSE and local government inspectors with a useful datum line against which to make judgments during their visits. The NITTACC scheme does not bring with it (how could it?) any change in the law: the Health & Safety Act remains the basis of legal requirement for employers. Ej NITTACC (at the moment a committee only) has only recently come near the stage of finalising details of the scheme. It follows that no thoroughgoing dissemination of information has been possible. This is shortly to change. (However, a broad outline of information has been circulated by CBI to all its employers' federations and trade associations—including FTA.)
LI NITTACC will not withdraw accreditation of Motec instructor training. Motec is and will continue to be one of eleven RTITB-approved instructor training centres — which also includes a CIA.
LII NFITACC will be selffinancing. Revenue will be earned, in part, by making a once-only charge for operator certification. However, special "grandfather rights" certificates will be available to existing operators for E2 (subject to satisfying certain specified criteria).
No, the horror in this story is to be found only in the article's quoted statistics: 5,000 truck accidents a year is plainly unacceptable, and any real attempt to reverse that trend is surely to be welcomed. We believe our scheme is capable of contributing effectively, and for a limited overall outlay, to a worthy objective. I am happy to report that we have evidence that many employers, both large and small, share our belief and are prepared to back us.
BRIAN TODD Chairman, National industrial Truck Training and Certification Council, Wembley