# Why the hell do people run machines they have no experience using



## stamaster21 (7 mo ago)

at work guy has no fork-lift license and the foreman gives him basically a 3 minute lesson now the guy wants to drive the fork-lift. This is dangerous iam staying far away when he operates that thing. The agency needs to send a person with forlift license.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

You can not get experience unless you use one. Even if you do the 2 hour safety course the basic driving instruction is normally 60 seconds as its a one seat machine. 

I have taught at least a 100 people as a onsite forklift instructor. We simply make you watch the video's then take you out into the yard where we have set up a bunch of cones until you get confident on the machine. I have failed a couple of people but it doesn't happen very often.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

Have you ever had to teach one of your kids to drive? Right there with being an inexperienced Captain being paired up with a fresh FO. Good times there too.


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## Slay301 (Apr 23, 2018)

Any idiot can drive a forklift it’s a car with 3 levers


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## ZacharyBob (May 3, 2020)

I mean it’s not a crane.. if you apply enough stupid almost anything becomes dangerous. Did the guy do something in the fork lift that made you uncomfortable?


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## Slay301 (Apr 23, 2018)

ZacharyBob said:


> I mean it’s not a crane.. if you apply enough stupid almost anything becomes dangerous. Did the guy do something in the fork lift that made you uncomfortable?


Kept poking his backside with the fork 🤣


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

nrp3 said:


> Have you ever had to teach one of your kids to drive? Right there with being an inexperienced Captain being paired up with a fresh FO. Good times there too.


Lol.....been there, done that, didn't get a t-shirt.......


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

Speaking of fork trucks, has any body played " fork lift football"? I was working at a warehouse before all this safety stuff came about and the crews were playing football with the fork truck. The fork truck drove back and forth and the players had to get the football between the forks and the driver had to maneuver so that the football did not get between them.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

stamaster21 said:


> at work guy has no fork-lift license and the foreman gives him basically a 3 minute lesson now the guy wants to drive the fork-lift. This is dangerous iam staying far away when he operates that thing. The agency needs to send a person with *forlift license*.


I agree ! Once they have a licence, then they are good drivers.
I see it every day on the city roads ... Licensed drivers, driving safely


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## Wardenclyffe (Jan 11, 2019)

Horrific moment factory worker is crushed to death after she slipped and fell under forklift truck


THIS is the horrific moment a female factory worker was crushed to death by a forklift truck after it began to topple and she slipped under it while trying to bring it back down to the ground. The …




www.thesun.co.uk


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

nrp3 said:


> Have you ever had to teach one of your kids to drive? Right there with being an inexperienced Captain being paired up with a fresh FO. Good times there too.


Mini copper turbo stick shift was not the perfect car to teach my son to drive. Don't know what smelt worse him burning the front tires or the clutch.

He learn to drive on the xbox so he though the pedals were either on and off.


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

I was working for a company that required a 2 hour safety course and a check out drive for all equipment. I was finally getting my boom truck cert and listened intently to the instructor and when given the oky doky to get into the bucket. First checked the the breaks and parking air breaks the truck had, climbed on the back and was give instructions on how to get to the light fixture on the wall. I brought the boom off the cradle and was turning and booming at the same time. STOP, STOP, screamed the instructor. I waited he walked over and stated "You have done this before, once or twice I replied. Why did you not say anything, I was told to listen to you and learn. You never asked me if I had any experience. The training outline was changed after that. 

Had an employee drive a JLG lift off the loading dock while up in the air 20 feet. He kept asking why he had to go get drug tested. Then I layed him off. Was lucky there was no damage to the lift. I have rented hundreds of them but do not want to own one.


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## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

I have been running equipment since I was 17. I am 51 now. Never had 'official training". Was shown by people who know how to operate. Not everything requires 'official training'. I could pick your nose with an excavator.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Veteran Sparky said:


> I have been running equipment since I was 17. I am 51 now. Never had 'official training". Was shown by people who know how to operate. Not everything requires 'official training'. I could pick your nose with an excavator.


I remember my Bucket Truck training (25 or 30 yrs ago).
Crew Leader said get in the bucket. Told me where to shackle off. Showed me the joystick, said hold bottom lever, lift up to raise. Push forward to extend, and push this way to go right, that way to go left.
Then he said "Have Fun" .
Training in 30 seconds


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## u2slow (Jan 2, 2014)

emtnut said:


> I remember my Bucket Truck training (25 or 30 yrs ago).
> Crew Leader said get in the bucket. Told me where to shackle off. Showed me the joystick, said hold bottom lever, lift up to raise. Push forward to extend, and push this way to go right, that way to go left.
> Then he said "Have Fun" .
> Training in 30 seconds


That sums up my forklift training 25 years ago, and man-lift training 20 years ago.

Nowadays employers have to pretend you forgot all your skills immediately when the annual certificate expires  ...yet Im allowed to keep right on driving my personal vehicle - last trained 29 years ago. Amazing.


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

As was said by others all my training was here you go. Electric Pallet Jack, Fork truck, Pendent crane, Overhead crane, Bobcat, Mini excavator, Dozer, Backhoe and others .

I think I was 19 when I was told to go up in the overhead crane and play with it. That thing stop quick when it hits the end too fast!!!!


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## Nomadic (5 mo ago)

Whats training? 20 years ago I said yeah I can run the forklift or boom crane and there I was unloading my own truck. 18 skids of wallstone and a piggyback forklift that humg off the tail of the trailer. I only needed to be seen how to load the lift onto the trailer.

It will work till it don't.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

I don't think I got any training on the Lull either. Or the pushback tug.


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## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

When I first went to work for a pump and tank company, the "fuel guys" had to dig the electrical trenches since I had no experience on a backhoe. Well it didn't take long before I figured out how to run the backhoe and just did it myself. 

The fun part was all of our backhoes were 2WD and we often worked in mud. Had to learn to push yourself around on some sites.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

oldsparky52 said:


> When I first went to work for a pump and tank company, the "fuel guys" had to dig the electrical trenches since I had no experience on a backhoe. Well it didn't take long before I figured out how to run the backhoe and just did it myself.
> 
> The fun part was all of our backhoes were 2WD and we often worked in mud. Had to learn to push yourself around on some sites.



I thought they were all 4 paw drive back in those days


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

Wardenclyffe said:


> Horrific moment factory worker is crushed to death after she slipped and fell under forklift truck
> 
> 
> THIS is the horrific moment a female factory worker was crushed to death by a forklift truck after it began to topple and she slipped under it while trying to bring it back down to the ground. The …
> ...


I like this only for the fact that it sends a very important message, not because someone got killed........


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## Quickservice (Apr 23, 2020)

gpop said:


> You can not get experience unless you use one. Even if you do the 2 hour safety course the basic driving instruction is normally 60 seconds as its a one seat machine.
> 
> *I have taught at least a 100 people as a onsite forklift instructor. We simply make you watch the video's then take you out into the yard where we have set up a bunch of cones until you get confident on the machine. I have failed a couple of people but it doesn't happen very often.*


Same here.... but never had to fail anyone... yet.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

I’ve seen a number of fork lift fails. Sone have made me money! 

Nobody taught me how to drive one, I learned by doing. But I did spend time watching others first in order to understand the physics of it all. Seemed like common sense stuff to me, but I guess a lot of people are lacking in that.


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## u2slow (Jan 2, 2014)




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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

JRaef said:


> But I did spend time watching others first in order to understand the physics of it all. Seemed like common sense stuff to me, but I guess a lot of people are lacking in that.


One of the common problems i see is people tilting the load back when lifting high thinking its more stable when its the other way around due to the rear axle pivot point. A lot of places now have fork lift only area's. If you have to enter the area it shuts down all the forklifts. The ones that don't always make eye contact with the driver that way they will run over a expensive electrical panel rather than you which is a win-win situation.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

JRaef said:


> I’ve seen a number of fork lift fails. Sone have made me money!
> 
> Nobody taught me how to drive one, I learned by doing. But I did spend time watching others first in order to understand the physics of it all. Seemed like common sense stuff to me, but I guess a lot of people are lacking in that.


Common sense isn’t that common anymore.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

One fork lift fail I saw (only on camera, I had to fetch the recordings for the insurance companies). It happened unloading a truck. The fork lift was driving into the truck to pick up pallets and backing out. The truck driver had not locked the brake. Physics ensued. The fork truck driver hit reverse too sharply and the truck rolled out from under him at the same time the fork lift was driving backward on the truck's deck. The truck came away from the loading dock and the fork lift drove right off the back of the truck. The fork lift driver was OK but he was in the hospital a while.


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## wiz1997 (Mar 30, 2021)

Just because you have been trained, certified and well experienced doesn’t mean you'll never make a mistake.

I'll rat myself out on this one.

Working in a bleach plant at the time.

We had pulled a 5000 gallon plastic storage tank out of the containment wall and replaced it with a larger tank.

Had to take the roof out to get the existing tank out and the other in using a crane.

Had to replace instrument air pipe and utility air pipes, so we had a Ridgid 535 threading machine on hand.

Got everything done and was putting things away, guess it was around 6PM, we started at 4AM.

I had the forklift and was putting the threader up on the top shelf of the pallet rack.

Backed away from the rack, turned and started back for another load, crash!!

Hit a 3" fire sprinkler pipe, I neglected to lower the mast back down.

Saw the pipe come apart at a coupling, it was a dry pipe system.

Once the air pressure dropped, the valve opened, dumping some rusty brown, smelly water directly on the forklift operator, me.

A solid 3" stream of water being pushed by a fire pump, proceeded to flood the building.

Coworker got the valve shut.

Fire Department arrives looking for a fire.

Now we have 3" to 4" of water to get out of the building.

Coworkers not happy, took 2 hours to squeegee the water out.

So anyone no matter how experienced, will make mistakes.


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## Wardenclyffe (Jan 11, 2019)




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## Wardenclyffe (Jan 11, 2019)

micromind said:


> I like this only for the fact that it sends a very important message, not because someone got killed........


It's the not understanding of the weight of a lift, if she thought her 100 lbs would hold the back down,

I also cringe at guys that stick their finger in a motor mounting plate to see if it's lined up,...


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## RUSKES (6 mo ago)

Compared to a car with stick shift, fork lift is simple


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

Actual training on using equipment is rare. Good quality training is even more rare.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I bought my first forklift 36 years ago for $3500 and learned how to use it, we replaced the battery twice and tires once, traded it in on a new forklift 4 years ago and they gave me $3500 trade-in.

Taught my wife to drive the forklift and she promptly drove into a wall.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

RUSKES said:


> Compared to a car with stick shift, fork lift is simple



Youngsters do not remember the days when a fork lift was stick shift.


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## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

gpop said:


> Youngsters do not remember the days when a fork lift was stick shift.


What kind of forklift?


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

oldsparky52 said:


> What kind of forklift?


Yellow.

I googled it and was surprised to find they still sell some with a manual opinion.

They were less lurchy when handling heavy loads on tight turns as you could slip the clutch. You could also tow them and use the engine as a brake downhill


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## Viggmundir (Sep 13, 2019)

A lot of it comes down to situational awareness and an understanding of momentum, weight, and physics. I've never had the opportunity to operate a forklift, but I have years of experience with tractors, skidsteers, and scissor lifts. I'm sure I would pick it up pretty quick.



wiz1997 said:


> Just because you have been trained, certified and well experienced doesn’t mean you'll never make a mistake.
> 
> I'll rat myself out on this one.
> 
> ...


You made a mistake after a 16 hour day. I would call that fatigue. That is probably the cause of lots of accidents of experienced operators.


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

I mean, I have my license to drive a boom lift and I’ve never even been in one, so if anything the fact that he’s wanting to learn is good


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## Wardenclyffe (Jan 11, 2019)

Martine said:


> I mean, I have my license to drive a boom lift and I’ve never even been in one, so if anything the fact that he’s wanting to learn is good


You should really make time and the place to drive the lift and operate it so that when it comes to "we need the lift go get it", you won't be learning it on the spot.


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

Wardenclyffe said:


> You should really make time and the place to drive the lift and operate it so that when it comes to "we need the lift go get it", you won't be learning it on the spot.
> 
> View attachment 170850


Ah thankfully my license card is only good for the company I’m working for since they gave the course, so they KNOW I’ve never driven one, so they won’t be throwing me into one and telling me to figure it out. I drive a scissor lift a lot indoors and barely work outdoors ever since I do mostly conduit 😅


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