RTITB Ltd – The Interview

The Health & Safety people warn us regularly of the dangers of using lift trucks inappropriately; the recent EU directives require newly trained goods vehicle drivers to acquire their Certificate of Professional Competence; and we now have the new offence of Corporate Manslaughter. In short, there’s never been a more pressing need for UK forklift operators’ employers to ensure their workforce are properly trained and certificated by the proper bodies.

One such body, RTITB Limited – formerly the Road Transport Industry Training Board – has been synonymous with excellence in road freight and logistics for 40 years, and has helped foster the skills of generations of forklift operators and their trainers. But RTITB’s drive for consistent standards doesn’t stop there. It’s also involved in raising awareness of the need for these standards. Hence RTITB has joined forces with Sumo Glove, the lift truck impact reduction and safety system manufacturers, to stage the first ever National Lift Truck Operator of the Year Competition for operators of counterbalance lift trucks registered on the National Operator Registration Scheme (‘NORS’), climaxing with a grand final and gala dinner on September 26th. They will be supported by Barloworld Handling, who will provide the venues for the regional finals and lift trucks for the regional and national finals, and Linpac Allibert, who are providing a full range of pallets, box pallets and re-useable transit packaging for both the regional and national finals.

Besides bringing some sparkle and excitement to the serious subject of training, the National Lift Truck Operator of The Year Competition 2008 will do much to raise awareness of the need for regular, accredited lift truck operator training. It adds a further dimension to RTITB’s ongoing work of driving industry best practice to higher levels, as Alex Nelson, Managing Director of RTITB Ltd, told Warehouse & Logistics News.

Warehouse & Logistics News – Before we talk about your National Lift Truck Operator Competition, when did you launch the RTITB National Operator Registration Scheme?
NORS was initially introduced on a voluntary basis in March 2004. In April 2006 it became a standard feature of RTITB accreditation, and since then if it’s not NORS, it’s not RTITB accredited training.

WLN – How would you define what NORS is?
NORS is a form of insurance for operators and employers, which ensures the training purchased or provided is properly RTITB-accredited. NORS is a low-cost, simple to use multi-option validation, registration and certification system which provides employers, employees and agencies with an easily accessed central database that confirms operator qualifications and provides employers and employees with replacement certificates. It also provides organisations large and small with a database to manage lift truck operator qualifications. This includes a reminder service that advises when refresher training/assessment may be required. All this makes it difficult for less scrupulous non-accredited organisations to dupe unsuspecting employers and operators.

WLN – How easy is NORS to sign up to and apply for? What does it cost per operator?
All RTITB-accredited organisations are “signed up” to NORS (remember, if it’s not NORS, it’s not RTITB-accredited!) Applications can be made on line, by email, fax or post. NORS fees vary according to the option chosen, allowing flexibility to suit the needs of a particular situation. The options and fees are as follows;
• Option one; validation, registration, certification and photo ID – £8.95 + vat
• Option two; validation, registration and certification – £6.95+vat
• Option three; validation, registration and photo ID – £6.95 + vat
• Option four; validation and registration – £4.95 + vat

With option 3 or 4, the accredited training provider issues a training certificate, including the NORS registration number and expiry date as transmitted by RTITB to the training organisation following validation and registration. Our aim is to turn certificates around within ten days of receipt of a correct application. In March 2008 the average turn-around time across all options was 1.8 working days. This is down to the hard work and dedication of the NORS admin team, who know how important it is to ensure we get qualifications out as fast as we can, as this can sometimes be the key to employment.

WLN – How often do forklift operators and trainers need to re-register for NORS? What does the process involve?
Operators’ and instructors’ registration period on NORS is three years. Operators wishing to renew their registration must undertake refresher training/assessment within the three-year period. Instructors need to provide evidence of Continued Professional Development (CPD), with proof of providing training or statements of how CPD was maintained or refresher training. The original certificate of training does not expire; re-registration shows skills have been updated.

WLN – How many operators are NORS registered?
104,000 qualifications are now registered on NORS, and we have more accredited organisations and locations than ever.

WLN – What proportion of UK lift truck operators and trainers is this?
My guess would be the 104,000 figure represents around 30% of the total.

WLN – How many forklift training companies have you accredited?
We have accredited 445 organisations operating 579 accredited locations across the UK and Eire. These organisations provide training on the employer’s premises and/or in dedicated training centres, depending on the type of accreditation.

WLN – Can big companies and organisations’ in-house fork truck training departments be accredited by RTITB?
Any organisation can be accredited regardless of size, provided they meet the criteria. We accredit SME’s and blue chip companies like British Airways, TNT and Boots.

WLN – What are the legal requirements for qualifications for fork lift drivers?
To comply with their duties under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations 1998 and general duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers must ensure all operators they employ are adequately trained and, when necessary, provide additional or refresher training.

WLN – What is the operator’s route to qualification?
Operator training divides into three stages – basic training, specific job training and familiarisation training. These stages can be taken separately or combined, particularly where training is on an employer’s premises. It is essential each stage is fully covered, with due regard to the trainee’s experience and the type of truck they will be expected to operate. The first two stages must be carried out ‘off the job.’ The third stage needs to be carried out on the job, under close supervision.
Following satisfactory completion of all three stages the employee should be given written authorisation to operate, specifying the truck or trucks they relate to and any special conditions such as area limitations. Employers should not allow personnel to operate lift trucks on any premises without authorisation, except trainees under close supervision. Employers also need to ensure they are satisfied with authorised operators’ continuing competence.

WLN – For the record, why is it important for lift truck operators and instructors’ training to be accredited by a recognised body like RTITB?
Accreditation is essential to ensure the provision of relevant training as required in the Health and Safety Commission’s Approved Code Of Practice (ACOP) for rider operated lift trucks. Training courses provided by accredited companies are recognised by the H&SC as meeting the legal minimum standard set out in the ACOP: NORS ensures this training is RTITB-accredited and the correct duration, content and ratio. All RTITB-accredited organisations are monitored, to ensure standards are maintained: H&S inspectors refer to this guidance as illustrating good practice.

WLN – What are the statistics for lift truck crashes and related accidents in the UK? How many are fatal or involve injury? How many are attributable to poor training?
Every year there are about 8,000 lift truck incidents resulting in injury. In 2005/6 lift trucks accounted for 7 fatalities, 452 major workplace transport injuries and 1,105 injuries causing absence for more than three days. The target for the overall economy is to reduce the rate of fatal and major workplace transport injury to workers by 6% by 2005/6 and 10% by 2009/10.
Collating statistics about training-related accidents is difficult. However 90% of accident victims say their accidents were avoidable, and few lift truck accidents are attributed to mechanical failure: being struck by a moving vehicle accounts for over 40% of all workplace transport injuries. This indicates an education and training need for both operators and pedestrians!

WLN – What are the financial implications and other consequences of these accidents for the operators involved and their employers?
HSE has calculated that a serious or major injury typically costs an employer about £18,000. So the 452 major injuries have cost the industry in the order of £8,136,000. High courts can impose unlimited fines, and of course there is now the new offence mentioned in your introduction of corporate manslaughter.

WLN – With many workers coming into the UK from other countries, how do UK forklift training standards compare with the rest of the world? Is NORS based on a EU-wide standard?
RTITB-accredited training is delivered around the world, with multi-national companies adopting the standard regardless of the location of their activity. There are no pan-European standards, however we believe the UK has the best infrastructure in Europe for operator and instructor training.

WLN – How is RTITB set up?
RTITB Ltd is a commercial undertaking, with no government funding. The shares are vested in CAPITB Trust, a registered charity.

WLN – What does your role involve as MD?
My role is to ensure RTITB remains at the forefront of raising training standards and we continue to strive to improve.

WLN – IS RTITB recognised by HSE?
RTITB is recognised by the Health & Safety Executive, HSE Northern Ireland and the H&S Authority, and is the only accrediting body recognised for the whole of the UK and Eire. The RTITB accreditation scheme can be applied to training on any truck type, in any commercial or industrial environment.

WLN – Does RTITB do any lift truck operator training? What lift truck training-related products and services does it offer?
RTITB does not provide lift truck operator training: this is supplied by the 454 organisations we accredit across the UK and Eire. We provide a range of training materials including comprehensive trainers’ guides, interactive training CDs, presentations and test marking sheets and have on-line validation, registration and certification. The RTITB Academy provides instructor and assessor training for LGV, digital tachographs andl trucks, as well as LGV licence acquisition training and management training.

WLN – What other road transport and logistics training courses do you accredit?
Via the 454 organisations we work with, we accredit every form of materials handling equipment, including machines used in ports, airports, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and storage. On the road freight and logistics front, accredited organisations deliver LGV driver, instructor and digital tachograph training.

WLN – What proportion of your activity is lift truck-related?
Accreditation of lift truck training is the cornerstone of our business and represents 70% of our work.

WLN – Coming back to the competition, how did the RTITB National Lift Truck Operator Competition come about?
The competition came about through our desire to promote RTITB-accredited training: it’s long been an ambition to give operators an opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge. RTITB is about promoting high quality training to improve safety, efficiency and reduce damage and injury, and the National Lift Truck Operator of the Year Competition highlights what good practice is all about. The competition is funded by RTITB and SUMO. Sumo, our co-presenter of the competition, has developed an impact reduction system, the Sumo Glove. Fitting Sumo Gloves to forks reinforces good working practice, just as accredited training courses do. The Sumo Glove consolidates good training: if the operator misjudges a situation, the Glove reduces impact by up to five times.

WLN – Who can enter?
The free to enter competition is open to any counterbalance operators registered on the RTITB National Operator Registration Scheme, who have passed their practical test with under 25 penalty points – instructor standard – and scored 90% or above on the theory test.

WLN – How do you apply?
Competitor registration has been going on on-line at www.rtitb.co.uk since 7th April and continues until 9th May.

WLN – What do you have to do, and how difficult is it?
The first stage is a web-based theory and hazard perception test. The test is designed to identify safe and efficient operators, challenging them to apply their knowledge in working situations.

WLN – What have responses been like so far?
The reaction has surpassed all expectations. What’s most gratifying is that employers are extremely keen on the competition too.

WLN – What happens next?
The top eight entrants in each of five regions – Scotland, Northern England, Southern England, Wales and Ireland – compete in the regional finals, with the top two from each region going forward to the national grand final at RTITB headquarters in Telford on 26 September. The national champion will win a new five door Ford Fiesta, with second and third prizes of a luxury holiday and a European city break weekend. The prizewinners’ gala dinner will be held on the evening of the grand final.

WLN – Who is staging the gala dinner?
The gala diner takes place at the Telford Golf and Spa Hotel, hosted by Sumo and RTITB. Jane Willis, the HSE’s Director of Strategic Programmes, has kindly agreed to present the prizes and the sculptured glass competition trophies, sculpted and signed by the famous artist David Keenan, best known for his pieces created for the Queen and other Royals.

WLN – Any plans for another Operator Competition next year?
This is the first RTITB/SUMO National Operator of the Year Competition, and from the response it’s unlikely to be the last. It may well become a bi-annual event, and as this competition is only open to operators, instructors are asking us when they will get the opportunity to showcase their skills!

WLN – Finally, where do you see RTITB going from here?
We will continue to design, develop and implement efficient quality controlled training systems and materials and work with industry and regulators to improve safety, efficiency and reduce damage and injury, which improves everyone’s bottom line and reduces suffering. Prior to the introduction of the LGV drivers’ CPC, we will build an infrastructure of training providers.

RTITB Ltd
Tel: 01952 520200
Email: rtitb@rtitb.co.uk
www.rtitb.co.uk

Sumo Glove
Tel: 01279 815757
www.sumoglove.com