ALI Partners with WSPS to Provide Critical Safety Training to Lift Users in Ontario

The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) has partnered with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) of Toronto to help close a critical gap in safety education for the operators of vehicle lifts in Ontario. WSPS members now have access to Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition, the interactive, Web-based vehicle lift safety course developed by ALI and dealer services provider KPA.

“WSPS recognized there was a need for vehicle lift training designed specifically to meet the stringent requirements of North American standards,” says R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman, ALI president. “Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition provides WSPS members with an easy-to-use, flexible solution for training that minimizes time away from billable work.”

WSPS officials cite accidents involving lifts as one of the top three issues facing the auto repair sector in Ontario. There were seven fatalities related to lifting and jacking vehicles in the Ontario auto service industry between 2009 and 2011, according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in conjunction with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Ontario legislation requires employers to provide vehicle lift operators with information and instruction to ensure that their health and safety are protected. This applies to all workplaces where lifts are used, including dealerships, repair shops, towing operations and gas stations. In Ontario, this group includes nearly 15,000 businesses.

“After comparing all available resources in Canada and south of the border, we determined that ALI’s Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition offered the only viable option to provide WSPS members with lift safety training,” says Norm Karmer, a health and safety consultant for WSPS. “ALI is credentialed as a nationally recognized standards development organization. It sponsors ANSI/ALI ALOIM-2008, the industry standard covering vehicle lift operation, inspection and maintenance, so users can trust the safety training content is relevant.”

In Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition, a narrator guides trainees through curriculum covering lift types, the lifting and lowering process, and lift maintenance. Throughout the presentation, real-world scenarios with corresponding questions are presented to engage participants, who interact with the content and receive immediate feedback when answering the questions. The interactive elements provide a positive learning environment and reinforce the trainee’s understanding of each topic presented before moving forward.

Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition costs $29 per trainee. At the conclusion of the program, a certificate of completion is generated and stored online. This allows the shop manager to easily demonstrate training compliance when health and safety officials visit.

WSPS members can access Lifting It Right: 2014 Online Edition at www.wsps.ca/Shop/Training/E-Courses/Lifting-It-Right-Online-Edition.aspx.

To learn more about ALI, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiftInstitute, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute.