Faqs

California’s Title 8 §3668 (Powered Industrial Truck regulation) contains an exception clause near the end: “Exception: Agricultural operations as defined in Section 3437 of the General Industry Safety Orders are exempt from the requirements of Section 3668.” That single sentence is the reason the cycles differ.

• Initial training and evaluation must occur before solo operation.
• It involves a combination of formal instruction, practical training, and workplace evaluation.
• “An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator’s performance shall be conducted at least once every three years.”

No, refresher training (interim) is required — not optional — when:

• The operator is observed operating unsafely
• The operator is involved in an accident or near-miss
• The operator receives an unsafe evaluation
• The operator is assigned to a different type of truck
• The workplace changes in a way that affects safe operation

• §3441(a)(1): “At the time of initial assignment and at least annually thereafter, the employer shall instruct every employee in the safe operation and servicing of all equipment…”
• §3664(b): Every employee who operates an agricultural or industrial tractor shall be instructed at initial assignment and at least annually thereafter.

• Agriculture (AG): Annual
• General Industry/Construction (GI): 3-year evaluation cycle

MEWP operator training is governed by ANSI/SAIA A92.22 (safe use) and A92.24 (training), supported by Cal/OSHA aerial-device sections.

ANSI does not name a strict refresher cycle, but industry best practice — and what most insurers and GCs (General Contractors) require — is a 3-year operator re-evaluation, sooner if there’s an incident, equipment change, or supervisor concern.

Pair MEWP recerts with PIT recerts where the operator works both — meaning their re-evaluation schedules should be aligned so both are covered in the same cycle.