Skid Steer Operator Training
Hands-on skid steer training at your site: pre-start inspection, attachments, stability on slopes and a practical evaluation on your own machine.
What to Expect
Skid steers are on nearly every job site, and they are easy to underestimate. The machine is compact, quick and runs a long list of attachments, and most serious injuries happen when an operator travels with a raised load, works across a slope, or leaves the seat with the lift arms up. Our course covers the machine and the work: a written knowledge test, then a practical evaluation where the operator inspects, starts, runs and shuts down your skid steer in front of an evaluator.
- Standards
- 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(4) (only employees qualified by training or experience may operate equipment) and 1926.21(b)(2) (training to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions)
- Who needs it
- Anyone who runs a skid steer or compact track loader, including laborers who operate one occasionally
- Evaluation
- Written test plus a practical evaluation scored across nine areas, from pre-start inspection to shutdown, with a pass, fail or supervised-retest result
- Format
- Onsite at your job site, yard or facility, on your own equipment: classroom instruction, hands-on practice and an evaluation on the machine.
Is skid steer training required by OSHA?
There is no OSHA skid steer license. In a November 5, 2004 interpretation letter, OSHA said skid-steer loaders used primarily for earthmoving are not covered by the forklift training rule, 1910.178(l). The training duty comes from the construction rules instead: 1926.21(b)(2) requires employers to train employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions, and 1926.20(b)(4) allows only employees qualified by training or experience to operate equipment. OSHA also said that having run a machine several times does not by itself make someone experienced. A documented course and evaluation are how you show an operator is qualified.
What the practical evaluation looks at
The operator is scored on the pre-start inspection (fluids, leaks, tires or tracks, pins, coupler, hoses, lights, alarm, horn, seat belt, interlocks, brake and capacity rating), reviewing the travel path and hazards, start-up, smooth use of the controls, locking and checking attachments, loading and carrying with the load low, keeping the heavy end uphill on slopes, working around people and excavations, and shutting down with the attachment lowered and the brake set.
What the course covers
- Pre-start inspection, including the seat belt, restraint bar and control interlocks
- Rated operating capacity and how attachments change it
- Quick couplers, auxiliary hydraulics and stored hydraulic energy
- Stability: slopes, ramps, heavy end uphill, no raised-load travel
- Pinch and crush points around the lift arms, and never exiting with the arms raised
- Working near pedestrians, trucks, structures and open excavations
- Loading, carrying, dumping, grading and back-dragging material
- Safe parking, shutdown and reporting defects
- Written Knowledge Test
- Practical Evaluation on Your Machine
- Attachment & Coupler Safety
- Slope & Stability Training
- Crush-Hazard Awareness
- Documented Results
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Other courses we deliver
- Front End Loader TrainingGet certified in material handling, stockpile management, ramp operations, load-and-carry safety, and bucket controls.
- Excavator TrainingComprehensive instruction on machine stability, deep excavation safety, trenching, rigging, and precision attachment controls.
- Backhoe TrainingMaster safe operation, digging, trenching, and backfilling techniques with hands-on practice and complete OSHA compliance evaluations.
What Our Clients Said
- Expert Safety Training
- Customized Safety Programs
- OSHA Compliance Support
- Industrial Hygiene Surveys
- Onsite Safety Inspections
- Written Safety Program Development
“Brad and his team are very helpful and knowledgeable. They came to our job site and conducted safety training that was not only thorough and compliant, but genuinely engaging for our crew. I highly recommend BHG Heavy Equipment to any company that takes workplace safety seriously.”
Skid Steer Training Questions
We get a lot of the same great questions from new clients. Here are the answers to the ones we hear most often — if yours isn't listed, don't hesitate to reach out directly.
Onsite Safety Training Session