U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Logistics Activity (ULA) instructors visited the Galveston District (SWG) May 12-13, 2026, to conduct an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 16-hour Basic Forklift Operation Certification for 20 SWG Champions from the Operations Division, Maintenance Section. The course teaches operators to safely operate forklifts and skid steers.
The OSHA certification process involves three steps: formal instruction, practical hands-on training, and a workplace performance evaluation. Certifications must be renewed every three years.
Charles Hickman and Stanley Pearson, both Logistics Management Specialists from ULA in Millington, Tenn., taught in-class lessons and outdoor equipment operation before giving students the final test.
Hickman and Pearson have been OSHA certified to teach USACE equipment operators since 2015, Hickman said.
“We started out with just the forklift and a few other pieces of equipment,” Hickman said. “Now we can do the dirt work group - bucket loaders, backhoes, skid steers and multiple forklifts, class one, four, five and seven.”
Basic Forklift Operation is the class we teach the most, Hickman concluded.
During training on the equipment, Hickman instructed students on forklift operation, while Pearson oversaw skid steer training.
“Training is always good because people will get complacent and pick up bad habits,” Pearson said. “Safety is the most important thing.”
A forklift can weigh fifteen tons, so it is very important for operators to understand that in the event of a mishap, they must stay in the forklift or skid steer if it overturns, Pearson said.
“Always stay in the vehicle, never get out of the vehicle, call for help,” Pearson said.
Simple safety steps like wearing seatbelts in the vehicle, sounding the horn when backing up, using mirrors and checking blind spots were emphasized throughout the class.
SWG Transportation Specialist, Jonett Figaro operated a forklift for the first time during the training. “I think it’s pretty good training; they really want you to become an operator, do your best at it and be safe while using the equipment,” Figaro said.
Now that she has Basic Forklift Operation certification, Figaro plans to get certified on the tele-handler, a larger rough ground forklift.
SWG Lead Park Ranger and Addicks and Barker Dam operator Jerry Meece uses forklifts regularly for maintaining engine parts and removing debris around the dams.
“We have this equipment at Addicks and Barker and we use it all the time,” Meece said. “Next week, we have to pull all the stem tubes and regrease all the stems for the gates on the dam and it requires a tele-handler.”
Meece was already a certified forklift operator, he said, but this is a good refresher for him and the first time some of his staff have completed the training.
Meece described the forklift training and use of these types of equipment for dam maintenance as “mission critical.”
Hickman and Pearson are available to teach OSHA Equipment Operation throughout the USACE.