Employers and their workers who operate heavy construction equipment such as backhoes, excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, dump trucks, and front-end loaders are often confused by the lack of information available in the OSHA health and safety standards regarding heavy equipment operator training certifications. And there is a good reason for that; there are no direct requirements. Curtis Chambers, a nationally recognized OSHA trainer and expert witness in litigation matters, explains; “The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, requires that the employer maintain a certification of operator training and evaluation of all powered industrial truck (forklift) operators. So, it is natural to assume that the agency would also have similar standards that specifically require certified training for operators of heavy equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, backhoes, scrappers, dump trucks, and front-end loaders. However, there is no equipment-specific requirements for operator training for these pieces of equipment included in the OSHA standards.”
However, Mr. Chambers goes on to warn that the lack of training certification requirements in the OSHA regulations listing these specific pieces of equipment does not relieve employers of making sure their heavy equipment operators are trained in equipment safety. “There is a generic training standard included in federal OSHA’s construction regulations, specifically paragraph 1926.21(b)(2), which does require that employers instruct their employees in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and OSHA regulations applicable to their work environment to control or eliminate any hazards and exposure to injury. And federal OSHA also has a whole section of regulations (see 1926.602) related to safe practices and prohibitions for various types of earth-moving equipment and material handling equipment. So, when you put two-and-two together, it clearly behooves the employer to make certain that their heavy equipment operators are trained in the safe operation of their equipment, AND that the training is documented through an operator training certification.”
The following online heavy equipment operator training and certification courses are available on OSHA Training Service’s website:
– Backhoe Operator Safety Training Course
– Bulldozer Operator Safety Training Course
– Excavator Operator Safety Training Course
– Front-end Loader Operator Safety Training Course
– Skid-steer Operator Safety Training Course
– Dump Truck Operator Safety Training Course