Forklift operator certification is the employer's written record that an operator has been trained and evaluated on the specific truck types and workplace conditions, as required by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(l).
Under 1910.178(l), training combines formal instruction, practical training and an evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace, and covers both truck-related and workplace-related topics. The employer certifies each operator, recording the operator’s name, the training date, the evaluation date and who did the training or evaluation. Performance must be evaluated at least once every three years, and refresher training is required after an accident or near miss, unsafe operation, a poor evaluation, assignment to a different truck type or a change in workplace conditions.
There is no OSHA-issued forklift license, and a wallet card from a training company does not on its own meet the standard, because the employer must evaluate the operator on its own trucks and site. Certification shows that training happened; it does not stop untrained people from starting a truck, which is what operator access control addresses. See OSHA forklift certification.