PUWER and Forklift Training
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998—usually called PUWER—place duties on employers and organisations that own, control or provide equipment for use at work.
Forklift trucks and other material-handling equipment fall within these requirements.
Employers must do more than arrange an operator course. They must provide suitable equipment, adequate information and training, effective supervision, appropriate maintenance and suitable workplace controls.
What Does PUWER Require?
Under PUWER, work equipment must be:
- Suitable for its intended use
- Safe and properly maintained
- Inspected where required
- Used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training
- Accompanied by appropriate controls, warnings and protective measures
- Used under suitable working conditions
The requirements apply whether equipment is owned, leased, hired or otherwise provided for work.
Does PUWER Require Forklift Training?
Yes. Employers must ensure that anyone using work equipment receives adequate training for health and safety purposes.
Training should cover:
- How the equipment should be used
- Risks arising from its operation
- Precautions required
- Equipment controls and limitations
- Safe operating methods
- Workplace hazards
- Action to take when defects are found
The training required depends on the equipment, job, operator’s experience, working environment and level of supervision.
The HSE states that self-propelled work equipment should only be driven by workers who have received appropriate training. HSE training and competence guidance
The Three Stages of Forklift Training
HSE guidance identifies three stages of operator training.
Basic Training
Basic training provides the core knowledge and practical skills required to operate the relevant forklift category safely.
It can include:
- Operator responsibilities
- Forklift stability
- Rated capacity and load centres
- Pre-use inspections
- Controls and instruments
- Steering and manoeuvring
- Load assessment
- Stacking and de-stacking
- Safe travel
- Parking and shutdown
- Theory and practical assessment
Specific Job Training
Specific job training applies those skills to the equipment and work involved in the operator’s role.
It may cover:
- The forklift used by the employer
- Controls and safety systems
- Normal loads
- Attachments
- Workplace surfaces
- Racking and storage systems
- Loading and unloading
- Traffic routes
- Charging or refuelling
- Local operating procedures
Familiarisation Training
Familiarisation involves supervised practice during normal work.
The operator uses the actual equipment and applies their training to the workplace until the employer is satisfied that they can perform their duties safely.
Read Why Forklift Familiarisation Matters
Choosing the Correct Course
Training should reflect the operator’s genuine experience and previous instruction.
Novice Training
For an employee without previous formal training or practical experience on the relevant equipment.
Experienced-Operator Training
For a suitable operator with substantial practical experience but no recognised evidence of formal training.
View Experienced Forklift Operator Training
Conversion Training
For a formally trained operator moving to another category or significantly different type of equipment.
View Forklift Conversion Training
Refresher Training
For a previously trained operator who requires reassessment or updated instruction.
View Forklift Refresher Training
Complete the Free Training Gap Check
Equipment Must Be Suitable
Training cannot make unsuitable equipment safe for a particular task.
Employers should consider:
- Load weight and dimensions
- Load centre
- Required lift height
- Aisle width
- Doorway clearance
- Floor and ground conditions
- Indoor or outdoor use
- Gradients
- Visibility
- Fuel or power source
- Attachments
- Manufacturer restrictions
- Pedestrian and vehicle movement
The truck must have sufficient capacity for the load and lifting configuration involved.
Attachments can affect stability, capacity and visibility. Operators may require additional training and familiarisation before using them.
Pre-Use Inspections
Operators should complete suitable checks before using a forklift.
Depending on the equipment, these may include:
- Tyres and wheels
- Fork arms
- Carriage and mast
- Chains and rollers
- Hydraulic systems
- Steering and brakes
- Controls and instruments
- Horn and warning devices
- Seat and restraint
- Battery or fuel system
- Capacity plate
- Visible leaks or damage
Employers need a clear process for reporting defects and preventing unsafe equipment from being used.
Pre-use checks do not replace planned maintenance or statutory examinations.
Maintenance and Inspection
Employers must keep work equipment in a safe condition.
Arrangements may include:
- Planned servicing
- Preventive maintenance
- Repairs
- Safety inspections
- Defect records
- Manufacturer maintenance requirements
- Control of equipment taken out of service
Maintenance work should be completed by people with suitable knowledge, skills and experience.
PUWER and LOLER
PUWER and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 can both apply to forklift trucks.
PUWER addresses matters including:
- Equipment suitability
- Maintenance
- Inspection
- Controls and safety measures
- Information, instruction and training
LOLER addresses lifting matters including:
- Strength and stability
- Safe working loads
- Planning lifting operations
- Positioning and installation
- Thorough examination
- Inspection and records
A LOLER thorough examination is not the same as routine servicing or the operator’s pre-use check.
Workplace Authorisation
Completing operator training does not automatically authorise someone to use every forklift in every workplace.
The employer should issue formal authorisation after confirming that the operator:
- Has completed suitable training
- Understands the equipment
- Has received necessary job-specific instruction
- Has completed workplace familiarisation
- Can perform the intended duties safely
- Understands local hazards and procedures
Authorisation can identify:
- Permitted equipment categories
- Approved attachments
- Work areas
- Operator duties
- Restrictions
- Supervision requirements
Read the Forklift Employer Responsibilities Guide
Supervision and Continuing Competence
Employers should continue monitoring operators after training.
Supervisors need enough knowledge to:
- Recognise unsafe practices
- Observe operator performance
- Enforce workplace rules
- Intervene when necessary
- Identify further training needs
- Respond to incidents
- Maintain appropriate records
Further instruction or reassessment may be appropriate when an operator:
- Has not used the equipment for some time
- Operates only occasionally
- Develops unsafe practices
- Has an accident or near miss
- Changes equipment
- Moves to another workplace
- Encounters new loads or attachments
Read the Forklift Refresher Training Guide
Workplace Transport Controls
Operator training must be supported by a suitably managed workplace.
Employers should consider:
- Pedestrian and vehicle segregation
- Traffic routes
- One-way systems
- Crossings
- Speed limits
- Blind corners
- Doorways
- Lighting
- Loading bays
- Yard conditions
- Parking areas
- Warning signs
- Visiting drivers
- Reversing movements
Where practicable, risks should be controlled through workplace design and physical separation rather than relying only on operator behaviour.
Records Employers Should Keep
Useful records can include:
- Training-needs assessments
- Basic training
- Specific job training
- Familiarisation
- Assessment results
- Equipment categories
- Attachments covered
- Workplace authorisation
- Supervisor observations
- Refresher training
- Pre-use checks
- Defect reports
- Maintenance
- Inspections
- Thorough examinations
Records support effective safety management but do not replace practical workplace controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a forklift certificate enough for PUWER?
Not by itself. Employers must also provide suitable equipment, specific job instruction, familiarisation, supervision and workplace authorisation.
Must forklift training be accredited?
HSE guidance does not say every provider must belong to a voluntary accreditation body. However, accreditation schemes are intended to support training standards and help employers select providers.
Does forklift training expire?
There is no universal statutory expiry date. Employers may adopt a planned review period, but operator performance must still be monitored.
Can a counterbalance operator use a reach truck?
Not automatically. The equipment has different controls and operating characteristics. Conversion training and assessment may be required.
Who can operate a workplace forklift?
Only someone who has received suitable training, is competent for the work and has been authorised by the employer.
Arrange Forklift and MHE Training
GH Training provides AITT-accredited training at customer premises across the North West, North Wales and West Yorkshire.
Courses are available for novice, experienced, conversion and refresher operators.
Call 01925 500796