Read up wise.
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.
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.Pallereoler, stabling og reol-eftersynBackground · 11 minEt reolkollaps kan slå ihjel på et sekund og vælte hele rækker som dominobrikker. Truckføreren læsser og påkører reoler dagligt, så du skal kende reolens belastningsgrænser, sikker stabling og trafiklys-systemet (grøn/gul/rød) for skadesvurdering efter DS/EN 15635 — og vide, hvad du gør, når du har ramt en stolpe.Læsseramper og på-/aflæsning af lastbilBackground · 13 minPå- og aflæsning ved rampe er, hvor mange af de alvorligste truckulykker sker: sættevognen vandrer væk (trailer-creep), trucken styrter fra rampekanten, eller en usikret sættevogn tipper. Sådan sikrer du køretøjet, rampen og dig selv, hver gang du kører ind i en trailer.Batterihåndtering og opladningBackground · 10 minEl-truckføreren lader og skifter batteri hver dag. Bly-syre-batteriet afgiver brint (brandfarligt fra ca. 4 vol-% i luft) og indeholder ætsende svovlsyre; Li-ion kan gå i termisk runaway. Her er sikker ladeplads, ventilation, batteriskift, øjenskyl og brandberedskab — det praktiske batterikapitel bag drivmiddel-opslaget.Paller og lastbærereBackground · 11 minEn forkert eller beskadiget palle vælter godset. Her er de vigtigste lastbærere — EUR/EPAL-pallen (800×1200 mm efter EN 13698-1), engangs- og plastpaller, halv-/kvartpaller og gitterbure — deres mål og bæreevner, hvornår en palle skal kasseres, og hvordan du bygger en stabil, sikret lastenhed.Trucktyper — overblik og valgBackground · 11 minLager- og terminalførere møder langt mere end kontravægtstrucken: reachtruck, stabler, palleløfter, plukketruck, smalgangstruck og firevejstruck har hver sin geometri, stabilitet og eget lastdiagram. Her er et samlende overblik med kendetegn, typisk brug, certifikatkategori og de typespecifikke risici.Væltning, nødadfærd og værnemidlerBackground · 10 minDe fleste dødsfald ved truckvælt sker, når føreren springer ud og bliver knust under førerværnet. Korrekt nødadfærd — bliv i sædet, hold fast, spænd selen, læn væk fra faldretningen — redder liv. Her er også førstehjælp ved klemning og de personlige værnemidler (sikkerhedsfodtøj efter EN ISO 20345, advarselsbeklædning efter EN ISO 20471).Køreteknik: baghjulsstyring og haleudsvingBackground · 12 minEn gaffeltruck styrer på baghjulene, så bagenden svinger ud modsat drejeretningen. Haleudsvinget rammer reoler, søjler og gående dér, hvor føreren ikke kigger hen — en klassisk ulykkesårsag. Sådan fungerer baghjulsstyringen, sådan tager du sving, vending og bakning sikkert, og sådan sætter du en palle af i reolen.Truckens opbygning og betjeningBackground · 13 minEn kontravægtstruck er bygget op om en tung modvægt, en løftemast med hydraulik og et førermiljø med greb og pedaler. Sådan hænger delene sammen — chassis og modvægt, mast og gafler, det hydrauliske løftesystem, styring og transmission, dødmandsgreb og sædekontakt — og sådan kører lasthåndteringssekvensen fra gafler ind til afsat palle.Tegngivning og kommunikation ved truckkørselBackground · 8 minVed bakning, læsning i højden og trailer-/containerarbejde med spærret udsyn dirigerer en hjælper føreren med standardiserede håndsignaler. Signalerne og reglerne har hjemmel i bekendtgørelsen om sikkerhedsskiltning og anden form for signalgivning, der udmønter EU-direktiv 92/58/EØF. Her er signalsystemet, rollefordelingen og reglerne for sikker kommunikation.