Does OSHA have operator training requirements for skid-steer loaders?
Yes.
OSHA’s subpart C for General Safety And Health provisions require skid-steer operators to be trained under 1926.21(b)(2) and 1926.20(b)(4) requirements. The employer is required to train skid-steer operators so that they can recognize and avoid unsafe conditions. As a practical matter, such training needs to be comprehensive enough to ensure that the operator is fully capable of safely handling the equipment in the type of conditions encountered at the site. The amount of training necessary to fulfill the requirement may be based on the extent to which the operator has acquired the necessary knowledge and skill from prior experience.
Only those who are qualified through training or experience are allowed to operate equipment. When an operator, through prior experience, has acquired the knowledge and skill necessary to operate the equipment, may be considered qualified by experience, however, a history of having operated the equipment by itself does not necessarily mean that the operator knows how to safely and competently operate the equipment. If the worker has operated the equipment in the past but has not acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to safely operate the equipment, the experience is not sufficient and does not make the employee qualified to be an operator.
