Missouri Forklift Certification

Missouri Forklift Certification Requirements

Missouri does not operate its own OSHA-approved State Plan. Private-sector workplaces across the state fall under federal OSHA jurisdiction, administered from OSHA’s Region 7 offices — the Kansas City Area Office and the St. Louis Area Office. That means the powered industrial truck standard, 29 CFR 1910.178, is the rule your employer must follow, and it is enforced the same way in Springfield as it is in a St. Louis or Kansas City distribution center.

What OSHA requires of Missouri forklift operators

Federal OSHA does not issue forklift licenses. Instead, it requires the employer to train and certify each operator through a three-part program before that person operates a lift on the job:

• Formal instruction — classroom-style teaching of operating principles, load handling, stability, refueling and hazards, delivered through lecture, video, written material or an online course like this one.
• Practical training — hands-on demonstrations by the trainer and hands-on exercises performed by the operator using the actual truck type they will run.
• Workplace evaluation — a supervised assessment of the operator’s performance in the specific Missouri workplace where they will drive.

The employer must also keep a written certification record listing the operator’s name, the training date, the evaluation date, and the name of the person who did the training and evaluation.

How often re-certification is required in Missouri

OSHA requires each operator to be re-evaluated at least once every three years. A refresher and new evaluation are also required sooner if the operator is involved in an accident or near-miss, is observed operating unsafely, is assigned a different type of truck, or if conditions in the workplace change.

Where our online course fits

Our $58 online course takes about an hour on any phone, tablet or computer and covers the formal-instruction portion of the OSHA requirement — the classroom knowledge every operator must have. Because federal law requires hands-on training and a workplace evaluation on your own equipment, those steps are completed on site by your employer. Our employer Train-and-Certify kit gives supervisors the checklist and evaluation forms to finish the practical and workplace steps and document them. Your certificate is valid for three years and is recognized across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

From the auto assembly lines around Kansas City (Claycomo) and Wentzville to the ag operations, freight terminals and warehouse-distribution hubs of St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri employers depend on certified forklift operators — and this course is a fast, low-cost way to get the classroom training done.

Nearby city guides: Kansas City forklift certification.