Is freelance forklift/awp training a thing?
May 28, 2020 4:24 AM Subscribe
I've been teaching forklift, aerial work platform, and general safety for a mid-size welding company for the last two years. On top of my regular job as equipment manager, I also maintain the company's training records, and I notify department managers when their employees are due for re-certification.
When my company acquired another local business, I found none of its employees had formal training, and I took a week to get them up to our standards. Is there a demand for this sort of thing, particularly in New England, but potentially anywhere? Going around to small businesses where forklift and AWP drivers are under-trained? Could I reasonably market myself as a one-source solution for forklift and aerial work platform training and record-keeping? If so, what sort of issues do I need to consider?
When my company acquired another local business, I found none of its employees had formal training, and I took a week to get them up to our standards. Is there a demand for this sort of thing, particularly in New England, but potentially anywhere? Going around to small businesses where forklift and AWP drivers are under-trained? Could I reasonably market myself as a one-source solution for forklift and aerial work platform training and record-keeping? If so, what sort of issues do I need to consider?
I wonder if Amazon is an option? They have been under fire for workplace accidents, and I listenened to a podcast that told the story of a specific guy who was killed by a forklift due to insufficient training. For better or worse, they have a zillion warehouses.
posted by freecellwizard at 8:52 AM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by freecellwizard at 8:52 AM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
We get similar workplace training (crane and hoist) from an independent company (might just be one guy, I'm not sure) that specializes in that sort of training. I have no idea about the specifics of this guy's work as far as liability, paperwork, etc., but there are a ton of companies that have similar needs to ours - small to midsize with infrequent use of dangerous equipment (as in, we don't have enough work to employ a full-time crane operator so the technicians and engineers do it, plus the lifts are relatively light and low to the ground) and a requirement to show compliance with safety standards. I know forklift is a little different as far as licensing goes, but I could see carving out a niche as a freelancer for this sort of thing.
posted by backseatpilot at 10:10 AM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by backseatpilot at 10:10 AM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'd advise against it, except as a side job. I actually have experience driving a forklift in the 90s, in Seattle, when my career with computers took a side trip for a few years. Forklifts are dead easy to use. I'd guess some states can make up a certification requirement, but I always found forklifts easy. Basics, look around, that 15 foot steel pole you put on the tines to move some stuff around might hurt someone. Raising a 600 lb. load 20-30 feet in the area, watch out. At least where I worked, anyone taking risks with a forklift, well, an ex-con at the time started taking risks. He got told by some of my co-workers, his risk was an accidental knife.
I see no need for a week long course. A day or two to make sure they understand the controls is all that is needed. Maybe one day, the second day would be to pound it in their head to be careful :)
Oh yeah, former CDL, military license, dump truck driver, construction worker, front end loader operator in Canada in the 70s, while I went to university.
posted by baegucb at 7:52 PM on May 28, 2020
I see no need for a week long course. A day or two to make sure they understand the controls is all that is needed. Maybe one day, the second day would be to pound it in their head to be careful :)
Oh yeah, former CDL, military license, dump truck driver, construction worker, front end loader operator in Canada in the 70s, while I went to university.
posted by baegucb at 7:52 PM on May 28, 2020
It's certainly a thing in my area of Canada. I'd guess 90% of my safety training and equipment certification is handled by contracting companies who are often one or two man shows. There is a structure in place where trainers have to be certified to train so it is cheaper to have a 3rd party do it than have the expertise in house for all but the largest of companies. Also workplace insurance and provincal liability law pretty well mandates that people have certified training in many areas and that the training be refreshed regularly. (It's funny because the driver's licence I acquired 25+ years ago let's me drive a 5 ton truck pulling a trailer loaded with a scissor lift on city streets but I need to be re-certified every two years to drive the lift on/off the trailer)
You might want to contact some of the trade union halls in your area and see what they need. Practically everyone in commercial and industrial construction uses an AWP at some point. Also here fall arrest is a separate course/certification often taught with AWP that you need on top of the AWP ticket.
posted by Mitheral at 8:32 PM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
You might want to contact some of the trade union halls in your area and see what they need. Practically everyone in commercial and industrial construction uses an AWP at some point. Also here fall arrest is a separate course/certification often taught with AWP that you need on top of the AWP ticket.
posted by Mitheral at 8:32 PM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I see no need for a week long course.
Of course not. To clarify, my class takes two hours in the classroom and 20 minutes per person outdoors. It took a week to get the new guys certified to accommodate social distancing. Also, there are plenty of fine points that I find don't get discussed in typical classes. For instance, if your 8000 lb forklift is rated at a 24" load center, how heavy a load can it lift when the center of gravity is 70" from the backrest? And if your scissor lift can be operated on a grade up to 15%, what is the best way to determine whether your slope is within that threshold? And what is the purpose of fall protection in a scissor lift when most will tip at 150 lbs horizontal force yet 5000 lbs per person is the minimum necessary strength of an anchor point. I find regularly that older guys who "have been using forklifts longer than [I've] been alive" will find discussion of these points enlightening.
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:22 PM on May 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
Of course not. To clarify, my class takes two hours in the classroom and 20 minutes per person outdoors. It took a week to get the new guys certified to accommodate social distancing. Also, there are plenty of fine points that I find don't get discussed in typical classes. For instance, if your 8000 lb forklift is rated at a 24" load center, how heavy a load can it lift when the center of gravity is 70" from the backrest? And if your scissor lift can be operated on a grade up to 15%, what is the best way to determine whether your slope is within that threshold? And what is the purpose of fall protection in a scissor lift when most will tip at 150 lbs horizontal force yet 5000 lbs per person is the minimum necessary strength of an anchor point. I find regularly that older guys who "have been using forklifts longer than [I've] been alive" will find discussion of these points enlightening.
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:22 PM on May 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: So it sounds like you have a unique selling proposition that might help you stand out from the market. In other words, you're different from those other guys offering forklift training because you focus on explaining the whys behind the safety setup in order to increase compliance - rather than the 20 minutes of hands-on skills that any [expletive] can learn.
My advice, since this sounds like a case where the market might exist locally or might not, is to ask around. Who do you know in small or mid size companies who might need this kind of training? If you don't know too many folks, well first of all you're going to struggle to get clients, but second of all, start thinking about who you do know who might know people. The point is to ask these people how their needs are currently met.
You would probably find your local Small Business Development Center helpful. They're used to helping entrepreneurs figure out whether their business idea is viable, legal issues that might exist, and ways to move the idea forward. You can also check out the SBA's courses - I'd recommend looking at the ones on Competitive Advantage and Market Research as obvious starting points.
Depending on where you are, you may also find your larger public library has a business librarian or programming for entrepreneurs. Someone like me (I am a business librarian) would be able to sit down with you and have a conversation about resources in the community, where to get basic small business info, and advice on small business ownership in the area.
posted by librarylis at 9:34 PM on May 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
My advice, since this sounds like a case where the market might exist locally or might not, is to ask around. Who do you know in small or mid size companies who might need this kind of training? If you don't know too many folks, well first of all you're going to struggle to get clients, but second of all, start thinking about who you do know who might know people. The point is to ask these people how their needs are currently met.
You would probably find your local Small Business Development Center helpful. They're used to helping entrepreneurs figure out whether their business idea is viable, legal issues that might exist, and ways to move the idea forward. You can also check out the SBA's courses - I'd recommend looking at the ones on Competitive Advantage and Market Research as obvious starting points.
Depending on where you are, you may also find your larger public library has a business librarian or programming for entrepreneurs. Someone like me (I am a business librarian) would be able to sit down with you and have a conversation about resources in the community, where to get basic small business info, and advice on small business ownership in the area.
posted by librarylis at 9:34 PM on May 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
There's also the issue of liability -- let's say that you did training for a company, and the next week someone gets into a forklift accident and ends up dead. One of the fingers that the company points may be in your direction. Even if you did all of the right things and have the documentation to back that up, the legal battles may get pretty expensive.
I was contemplating doing freelance consulting for a little while, but put it on the back burner after talking to someone who had my same idea, was in a bigger market, seemed to do a great job, and made zero dollars.
Feel free to memail me if you want more opinions, details, or ever want to nerd out/share safety stories -- it is one of my passions.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 6:54 AM on May 28, 2020 [1 favorite]