Forklift safety starts before the shift, and screening standards help employers make safer, more confident staffing decisions.
Why Screening Standards Matter During National Safety Month
For warehouse and distribution operations, forklift staffing is one area where safety, productivity, and hiring decisions directly intersect.
According to National Safety Council data, forklifts were the source of 84 work-related deaths in 2024 and more than 25,000 serious injury cases in 2023–2024. OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks standard also remained among the top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards, ranking 8th in FY 2025 with 1,826 citations. Sources: National Safety Council Injury Facts and OSHA Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards
Who You Put on a Forklift Matters
A forklift is not just another piece of warehouse equipment. The person behind the controls directly affects many of the most common forklift-related risks in a facility, including speed, visibility, load stability, pedestrian awareness, turning radius, dock safety, trailer entry, and whether the equipment is inspected before use.
That is why forklift staffing should be viewed as both a workforce decision and a safety decision.
How Wood Personnel Screens Forklift Candidates
At Wood Personnel Services, forklift screening is not treated like a box to check. It is treated as an important part of supporting safer, more confident staffing decisions.
Our forklift screening process requires at least six months of experience on the specific type of lift equipment within the past three years. That experience may be reviewed through previous supervisor reference checks, equipment testing, or certification validation.
Safety Month Is a Good Time to Rethink Forklift Staffing
National Safety Month is a reminder that safety does not begin after a worker arrives on-site. In many cases, it starts much earlier, with the conversations, expectations, and screening standards used before a placement is made.
The truck matters. Your policies matter. Your facility design matters. Training and supervision matter.
But who you put behind the controls matters, too.
When forklift hiring is handled with both speed and standards in mind, employers are better positioned to support safer operations, stronger productivity, and more confident staffing outcomes.
If your business needs help staffing forklift roles, Wood Personnel is here to help you think through your needs and connect with candidates screened with clear, consistent standards in mind.