How to Get Forklift Certified in Washington

Washington is one of the states that operate their own OSHA-approved State Plan. Instead of simply pointing to the federal rule, Washington has written its own forklift chapter, chapter 296-863 WAC, enforced by DOSH, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health within the Department of Labor & Industries.

The operator training requirements sit in WAC 296-863-600. In WAC 296-863-60005, employers must make sure employees successfully complete an operator training program before operating a powered industrial truck (PIT). A trainee may operate a truck only under the direct supervision of a person with the knowledge, training and experience to train and evaluate operators, and only when it does not endanger the trainee or others. In practice that means formal instruction, practical training and a workplace evaluation, which matches the structure of the federal rule.

There is no Washington forklift license. Your employer’s written training and evaluation records are the proof.

1. Complete the online instruction. Choose a course that covers the 1910.178(l)(3) topics: truck controls, steering, visibility, capacity and stability, inspection and maintenance, refueling or battery charging, surface conditions, load handling, pedestrians, narrow aisles, ramps and ventilation.
2. Pass the exam. Gama Safety’s pass mark is 80%, and retakes are unlimited and free.
3. Save your certificate and wallet card. Both are available as soon as you pass, so you can send them with job applications.
4. Get practical training on the actual truck. Your trainer shows you the controls and safe operation of the truck type you will drive, and you practice under direct supervision with no one put at risk.
5. Be evaluated at work. The evaluator watches your pre-shift inspection, travel, stacking and load handling in the real work area.
6. Receive your employer’s certification. The written record includes your name, the date of training, the date of evaluation and the name of the person who gave the training or evaluation, as WAC 296-863-60005 requires.

Washington’s rule requires an operator training program that covers required topics, but the classroom part of that program can be delivered through computer-based learning. The part that cannot move online is hands-on: practical training and the evaluation of how you actually operate the truck at work.

An online certificate therefore works best as proof of the knowledge portion. It does not make you “DOSH certified.” DOSH does not approve or accredit online course providers, and any site claiming a Washington state forklift card is selling something the state does not issue.

Washington’s chapter 296-863 WAC is organised differently from federal 1910.178, and a few points are worth knowing:

• Three separate training sections. WAC 296-863-60005 covers making sure operators are trained and keeping records, WAC 296-863-60010 covers retraining operators when required, and WAC 296-863-60015 covers evaluating operator performance.
• Evaluation timing is spelled out. Under WAC 296-863-60015, the employer evaluates operator performance as part of the initial training, after refresher training to check that it worked, and at least once every three years.
• Required training topics. The initial program must cover the subjects listed in the rule’s Required Training Topics table.
• Written records. The employer must keep written records of training and evaluations that include the operator’s name, the training date, the evaluation date and the name of the person giving the training or evaluation.
• Public employers are covered. DOSH applies to state and local government workplaces as well as private ones.

If a company’s safety program just cites “OSHA 1910.178,” a Washington inspector will expect it to meet the Washington chapter instead. Use the WAC citation in your program.

Forklift jobs in Washington follow the state’s trade and food economy:

• Seattle and Tacoma ports: container terminals, cold storage and freight yards around Puget Sound.
• King and Pierce County distribution: warehouse and fulfillment centers in the Kent Valley, Auburn, Sumner and Puyallup.
• Aerospace and manufacturing: supplier plants around Everett, Renton and Auburn.
• Agriculture and food processing: fruit packing and cold storage in Yakima, Wenatchee and the Columbia Basin.
• Spokane and Vancouver: regional distribution and manufacturing hubs on the I-90 and I-5 corridors.

Cold storage and outdoor yard work in wet weather both change how a truck handles, so expect site-specific training on surfaces and visibility.

• Online instruction: roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, on your own time.
• Practical training and evaluation: typically a few hours at your employer’s site.
• Online course price: Gama Safety’s course is US$59, including the certificate, wallet card and unlimited retakes. Other online courses commonly run $40 to $80.
• In-person classes that include truck time cost more, often a few hundred dollars.

Because Washington places the training duty on the employer, ask whether the company will cover or reimburse the cost.

Under WAC 296-863-60015, performance evaluation is required at least once every three years. WAC 296-863-60010 requires retraining in situations such as unsafe operation, an accident or near-miss, a poor evaluation, assignment to a different type of truck or a change in workplace conditions that could affect safe operation. After retraining, the employer evaluates again to confirm that the training worked.

Gama Safety runs in-person forklift classes only in Fresno, California (forklift certification in Fresno, CA), not in Washington. A Washington employer that wants hands-on training for a group can ask about crew training through our in-person training page. Otherwise, the practical session is normally delivered by a qualified trainer at your own site.

Washington employers must keep written records for each operator and re-evaluate at least every three years. Gama Safety’s online forklift course handles the classroom portion, offers team seat pricing on the course page, and issues a certificate for each person trained.

The records DOSH expects include the operator’s name, the training date, the evaluation date and the name of the trainer or evaluator, which is also what 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6) lists at the federal level. Your practical evaluation checklist should name the truck type and the work area.

• OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.178, Powered industrial trucks, paragraph (l) Operator training.
• Washington State Legislature, Chapter 296-863 WAC, Forklifts and other powered industrial trucks.
• Washington State Legislature, WAC 296-863-60005, Make sure PIT operators are trained.
• OSHA, State Plans, which lists states that run their own programs.