Can I just buy the certificate or wallet card because of my experience without taking a class?
This is a question we get all of the time. Unfortunately, we cannot issue safety certificates based on experience. While experience will certainly help you in the field and on the written examination, OSHA makes it very clear that it is never a substitute for operator training. No matter how long you've been on the job or how extensive your knowledge is, OSHA requires you to receive operator training or refresher training. Any training must include a written examination and a practical evaluation.
How do I take the practical evaluation if I take one of your safety training classes online?
The online operator training classes cover OSHA’s requirements for the classroom portion. A written exam is included at the end of our online training courses. After the online training class and exam are finished, you and your safety managers will have immediate access to a practical evaluation checklist. This can be printed off and used by your supervisor to help them evaluate you on the machine. When done, they can sign it and file it with your exam. This will satisfy OSHA’s requirements for safety certification. The practical evaluation guide is also customizable, so employers can and should feel free to change it as needed to make it work for your specific situation.
How often do I need to renew my training?
In some instances, OSHA is very specific about when training needs to be renewed. For instance, in the forklift standard, it notes that at the very least, forklift operators must renew their training (receive refresher training) every three years. OSHA also makes states that refresher training is required any time the forklift operator has been observed doing something dangerous, is involved in an accident or a "near-miss," or anytime the type of forklift or work site conditions have changed in a way that would require additional instruction. Any of these situations may occur before the typic three year expiration.
With this in mind, OSHA expects, and we encourage, employers and operators to adopt this same strict standard for operator safety certification for all types of heavy equipment.
My trainee scored 80% on the exam. Did he pass or fail?
Contrary to popular belief, OSHA does not dictate what a passing score entails. That is ultimately up to the employer who has the responsibility to certify, or authorize, their employee to operate heavy machinery. If you want to pass him at 80%, fine. But what if a question or two among the 20% missed could lead to an accident or death? Is it worth it? Our recommendation is that you always go over any missed questions with your trainees—even if they just missed one. Once they understand the principle missed, have them write their initials by the correct answer. That way, you are protecting them and those around them from potential accidents in the future.
Once I've passed the online training class am I certified?
Not quite yet. OSHA and OHS standards require heavy equipment operators to receive OSHA-compliant or OHS-compliant training. This must include a period of instruction followed by knowledge and skills examination (written exam + observation). It is your employer's responsibility to certify you, and they are the ones responsible if you are not trained. So, after you have completed an online safety training course by passing the final exam, you must be observed by your employer safely operating your equipment. Only then will you be "certified." (See the answer below for "Can you explain operator safety certification?")
Can you explain operator safety certification? Who can train, evaluate, and certify operators?
This, above all, causes a lot of confusion. Bottom line, OSHA states that employers are responsible for training their employees. Generally speaking, there are three ways they can do this:
In terms of using a 3
rd party companies safety training materials (like our
OSHA compliant training kits or our
OSHA-compliant online training classes) OSHA does not recognize one company over another. They simply state that ‘training needs to occur’ and ‘these are the things an excavator operator should be trained on.’
When we do
live training or offer training online, people often assume we are the ones certifying the trainees. This is not true for any training company. We are simply assisting the employer by providing live operator training or the training materials needed to help them certify their employees.
