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The reference work for forklift operation: A/B certificate, load chart and stability, inspection, fuels and working environment — plus checklists and templates, explained so it can be used in the warehouse.
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Become a forklift operatorBackground · 5 minA forklift certificate is one of the fastest and cheapest routes to work in warehousing, industry and transport. On a one-week course you learn to read load charts, assess stability and drive safely — and the certificate is valid at workplaces across the country. Here is what the trade requires, and how you get started.Forklift certificate A vs. B — what may you drive?Background · 9 minA legally required operator's certificate is needed for self-propelled forklifts with mechanical mast lift. Certificate A covers pedestrian stacker trucks with stabiliser legs; certificate B covers trucks you stand/sit on or without stabiliser legs — and B also counts as A. Here are the rules and the 1-metre exception.Age and health requirements for forklift operatorsBackground · 4 minThe main rule is 18 to obtain a forklift certificate, with an exception from age 15 while in a qualifying vocational programme. You must be medically fit, and if you drive where the Road Traffic Act applies you also need at least a tractor driving licence.How to read a load chartMeasurement · 13 minThe load chart (capacity plate) shows how much the truck may actually lift at a given load centre and lift height — not just the nominal figure. Here's how to read off the nominal capacity, load centre and lift height, and why the capacity drops.The stability triangle and the centre of gravityBackground · 11 minA counterbalance forklift rests on three points and stays stable as long as the combined centre of gravity of truck and load remains within the stability triangle. Here is how the moment balance about the front axle works, and what makes the truck tip over.How to find the load's centre of gravityMeasurement · 10 minThe load centre is the distance from the fork front to the load's centre of gravity. Here's how to find it: measure the depth of the load, use the 50/60/70 % rule of thumb for a quick estimate, and calculate a weighted average when the load is made up of several items.Measure and document fork wearMeasurement · 9 minWorn forks are a serious safety hazard. The forks must not wear thinner than 90 % of the original cross-section at the fork heel, and fork extensions may be at most 50 % longer than the original forks. Here is how to measure and document the wear.Power sources: electric, gas, diesel, hydrogenBackground · 10 minThe choice of power source determines where the forklift may be used. Diesel forklifts effectively cannot operate indoors because of the particulate limit, gas requires ventilation, while electric (battery/Li-ion) and hydrogen are suitable for indoor use. Here are the rules.Working environment in forklift operationBackground · 12 minForklift operation has its own occupational-health limits: hearing protection above 80/85 dB(A), whole-body vibration above 0.5 m/s² must be disclosed, a heated cab in freezer rooms, and the seat belt must always be worn. Indoors the speed is normally no more than 10 km/h.Daily inspection and main inspectionBackground · 9 minThe truck must be inspected daily by the operator before use, and a statutory main inspection must be carried out at least every 12 months by an expert. Both must be documented. Here is what is checked, and who may do it.Daily forklift inspection — checklistChecklist · 3 minA concrete checklist for the daily inspection of the forklift before use: safety equipment, controls, load-bearing parts, brakes/hydraulics/steering, tyres, battery/fuel and the condition of the forks.Lift plan before a critical lift — templateTemplate · 4 minA lift plan gathers the information you need to have in place before a heavy or critical lift: the load's weight and dimensions, centre of gravity/load centre, desired lift height, residual capacity read off the load chart, the ground surface, clearance height and securing of the goods.Stability checklist (pocket card)Template · 2 minA short pocket card with the most important stability rules: read the load chart every time, keep heavy loads low and close to the mast, tilt the mast back, lower the forks while driving and slow down in turns.The standards behind forklift safetyBackground · 4 minThe safety of industrial trucks is anchored in the DS/EN ISO 3691 series, supplemented by DS/EN 16203 for lateral stability and the machinery regulation. Here is an overview of the standards and what they cover.Lifting people with a forklift — when is it permitted?Background · 4 minLifting people with a forklift is only permitted under special conditions and with an approved work platform (man basket). A stability and static load test is part of the annual main inspection. Here are the main rules.The regulation behind the truck certificateBackground · 5 minThe rules for truck certificates A and B are anchored in BEK no. 1978 of 27/10/2021 on working environment professional education (attachment 2). It has superseded the older BEK 1088/2011 and BEK 1346/2017 and has since been amended by BEK 358/2023, BEK 1869/2023, BEK 505/2024, BEK 728/2024 and BEK 773/2025. Here's what you need to know about the legal basis.Safe movement in the warehouseBackground · 9 minMost truck accidents occur because pedestrians and drivers are in the same area. Rules require clear walkways mirrors light and sound signals and an indoor maximum speed of normally max. 10 km/h. Falling goods over 2 m require special demarcation.Mast types and lift heightBackground · 10 minThe mast type determines how high the truck can lift and what free height it requires. Duplex mast lifts up to approx. 4 m triplex mast up to approx. 7.5 m and special masts over 16 m. The lift height affects capacity — the higher the less you can lift.Truck certificate historyThe craft's history · 8 minThe forklift came to Denmark after World War II and changed warehouse and transport work forever. From the first mechanically simple trucks without load charts, through standardized capacity plates and mandatory certificates, to today's sensors and automation — but throughout, load balance, the stability triangle, and load center reading have remained the field's core.Pallet racks, stacking and rack inspectionBackground · 11 minA racking collapse can kill in a second and topple entire rows like dominoes. The truck driver loads and hits racking daily, so you must know the racking's load limits, safe stacking and the traffic light system (green/yellow/red) for damage assessment per DS/EN 15635 — and know what you do when you have hit a post.Loading ramps and loading/unloading of truckBackground · 13 minLoading and unloading at ramp is where many of the most serious truck accidents happen: the semi-trailer creeps away (trailer creep), the truck falls from the ramp edge, or an unsecured semi-trailer tips. This is how you secure the vehicle, the ramp and yourself every time you drive into a trailer.Battery handling and chargingBackground · 10 minThe electric truck driver charges and changes the battery daily. The lead-acid battery releases hydrogen (flammable from approximately 4 vol% in air) and contains corrosive sulphuric acid; lithium-ion can go into thermal runaway. Here is safe charging location, ventilation, battery replacement, eyewash and fire preparedness — the practical battery chapter behind the propulsion entry.Pallets and load carriersBackground · 11 minA wrong or damaged pallet tips the load. Here are the main load carriers — EUR/EPAL pallet (800×1200 mm according to EN 13698-1), disposable and plastic pallets, half-/quarter pallets and cages — their dimensions and load capacities, when a pallet should be scrapped, and how you build a stable, secured load unit.Truck types — overview and selectionBackground · 11 minWarehouse and terminal drivers encounter far more than the counterweight truck: reach trucks, stackers, pallet trucks, picking trucks, narrow aisle trucks and four-way trucks each have their own geometry, stability and load diagram. Here is a comprehensive overview with characteristics, typical use, certification category and type-specific risks.Rollover, emergency behaviour and protective equipmentBackground · 10 minMost deaths in truck tipping occur when the driver jumps out and is crushed under the protective frame. Correct emergency behaviour — stay in the seat, hold on, fasten the belt, lean away from the fall direction — saves lives. Here is also first aid for crush injuries and personal protective equipment (safety footwear per EN ISO 20345, warning clothing per EN ISO 20471).Driving technique: rear-wheel steering and tail swingBackground · 12 minA forklift steers from the rear wheels, so the rear swings out opposite to the direction of turn. The tail swing hits racking, posts and pedestrians where the driver is not looking — a classic cause of accident. This is how rear-wheel steering works, this is how you take turns, reversing and backing safely, and this is how you set a pallet in the racking.Truck design and operationBackground · 13 minA counterbalanced truck is built around a heavy counterweight, a lifting mast with hydraulics and an operator environment with grips and pedals. Here's how the parts fit together — chassis and counterweight, mast and forks, the hydraulic lifting system, steering and transmission, dead-man grip and seat contact — and how the load handling sequence runs from forks in to pallet placed.Hand signals and communication during truck drivingBackground · 8 minDuring reversing, loading at height, and trailer/container work with restricted visibility, a spotter directs the driver with standardised hand signals. The signals and rules are based on the order on safety signs and other forms of signalling that implements EU Directive 92/58/EEC. Here are the signal system, role distribution, and rules for safe communication.