Forklift training: what UK law requires of employers
A plain-English guide to the Health and Safety at Work Act, PUWER, LOLER and the HSE's Approved Code of Practice L117, written for businesses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
There is no "forklift licence"
The first thing to clear up is that the UK has no government-issued forklift licence. What exists is a legal duty on employers to train, and a system of accredited certificates that is the recognised way of meeting it. When people say "licence" they mean a certificate of basic training issued after an accredited course and test.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Section 2 of the Act requires every employer to provide "such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees". That general duty is the root of everything else: if someone drives a lift truck for you, you must have trained them to do it safely. Section 7 places a parallel duty on employees to take reasonable care of themselves and others.
PUWER 1998
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations apply to forklifts because a forklift is work equipment. Regulation 9 requires that everyone who uses work equipment has received adequate training in its use, the risks it creates and the precautions to take. Regulation 4 requires the equipment to be suitable for the job, and regulations 5 and 6 require it to be maintained and inspected. In practice, PUWER is what an inspector will quote if your operators are untrained.
LOLER 1998
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations cover the truck itself rather than the operator. A forklift is lifting equipment, so it must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every twelve months (six months where it lifts people, such as a man-up VNA truck or an order picker), and the report kept. We ask to see a current Thorough Examination report before training on any truck.
L117: the Approved Code of Practice
The HSE's Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training and safe use, known as L117, is the document that tells employers how to comply. It is not law in itself, but it has special status: if you are prosecuted and did not follow it, you have to show you met the law some other way. L117 says operator training should have three stages.
- Basic training: the skills and knowledge to operate a category of truck safely, delivered by a competent instructor and ending in a test. This is what an accredited course provides.
- Specific job training: the employer's own site, the loads and attachments actually used, site rules and traffic routes.
- Familiarisation: supervised operation of the actual truck in the actual workplace until the operator is competent there.
Because our courses are run at your premises on your trucks, basic training naturally includes much of the specific and familiarisation content. L117 also says employers should keep records of training and should provide refresher training at intervals; it does not fix the interval, but three to five years has become the accepted norm, and sooner after an incident, a near miss, a long break from driving, or a change of truck or workplace.
Accredited bodies and HSE recognition
The HSE does not run forklift training or issue certificates. It recognises the accrediting bodies that set standards for instructors and tests. Our instructors are registered with RTITB, AITT or ITSSAR, three of the bodies recognised under L117, and the certificates we issue are certificates of basic training on that basis. Insurers and large customers across Nottinghamshire accept them routinely.
Who can drive a forklift?
There is no legal minimum age for forklift operation except on sites where other rules apply (ports and docks, for example), but L117 advises that operators should be at least the school leaving age, and young people under 18 need particular supervision under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. Operators need to be medically fit, which the employer should assess; eyesight, hearing and the ability to look behind are the usual concerns.
What this means for your business
- Every operator needs a certificate of basic training for each category of truck they drive.
- You must provide site-specific training and familiarisation, and keep a record of it.
- You should plan refresher training at a sensible interval, normally three to five years.
- Each truck needs a current Thorough Examination report under LOLER and a maintenance regime under PUWER.
- Pedestrian-operated trucks such as powered pallet trucks count as lift trucks and their operators need training too.
If any of that is missing, an on-site course is usually the fastest way to put it right. Request a quote or call 0115 972 9944.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. The authoritative texts are on hse.gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk.
Common questions about the law
Is a forklift licence a legal requirement in the UK?
There is no such thing as a forklift licence issued by the government. What the law requires, through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and PUWER 1998, is that employers make sure anyone operating a lift truck has received adequate training. The certificate of basic training issued after an accredited course is the accepted way of showing that.
How often is forklift refresher training required by law?
The law does not set a fixed interval. The HSE's Approved Code of Practice L117 says refresher training should be given at intervals, and three to five years is the period most employers and insurers work to, with earlier refreshers after an incident, a long gap or a change of truck.
Does a forklift certificate from one employer transfer to another?
A certificate of basic training is the operator's and stays valid when they change jobs. The new employer still has to provide specific job training and familiarisation on their own site and trucks, and should check the certificate is genuine and appropriate to the truck type.
What is the difference between basic, specific job and familiarisation training?
L117 describes three stages. Basic training teaches the skills to operate a category of truck safely and is what an accredited course provides. Specific job training covers the employer's own site, loads and tasks. Familiarisation is supervised time on the actual truck in the actual workplace. Our on-site courses cover basic training and, because they happen on your site and trucks, a large part of the other two.
Who is responsible if an untrained operator has an accident?
The employer, primarily. Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act places the duty to provide training on the employer, and PUWER regulation 9 repeats it specifically for work equipment. Operators also have duties under section 7 of the Act. Prosecutions following forklift accidents routinely cite failure to train.
Bring your operator records up to date