Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does my “Licence” last for?

There is no specific time period after which you need to provide refresher training or formal assessment. However, you may decide that automatic refresher training or a retest after a set period (for example 3-5 years) is the best way to make sure employees remain competent. Where you adopt this approach, you will still need to monitor performance, in case operators need extra training before the set period ends.

2. How old do you have to be to operate a Lift Truck?

Lift truck operators should be over the minimum school leaving age (MSLA), except in ports where they must be at least 18 years old.

There are particular definitions of people by age in health and safety law:

  • a young person is anyone under eighteen years of age;
  • a child is anyone who is not over compulsory school age (i.e. he or she has not yet reached the official age at which they may leave school). This is generally referred to as the minimum school leaving age.
    The Management Regulations 1999 require you to assess the health and safety risks to all your employees and to identify what you need to do to comply with your legal duties to prevent or control those risks and ensure your employees’ health and safety. Under the Regulations you have particular responsibilities towards young people:
  • to assess risks to all young people under 18 years of age, before they start work;
  • to ensure your risk assessment takes into account their psychological or physical immaturity, inexperience, and lack of awareness of existing or potential risks;
  • to introduce control measures to eliminate or minimise the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.

3. How do I get a copy of my certificate of training?

There is no state system for training of lift truck operators as there is for drivers on the public highway. There is therefore no central organisation which holds copies of training certificates. To obtain a duplicate of your certificate of basic training you will need to contact the training provider who trained you and issued the original, or your previous employer. If you cannot obtain a duplicate then your new employer may wish to have you assessed and re-tested.

4. I have forgotten my login for TOPS

Go on to the ITSSAR Web site and click the TOPS button, then enter your email address and click the ‘forgotten password’ option.