In order to utilize any type of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Several businesses provide basic awareness training to other people such as visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, like for example pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge problem that has to be dealt with and not overlooked. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20 percent of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 people each year.
In order to keep everyone safe, there are some basic steps which should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently people are around industrial trucks during their work day. Among the major factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps usually happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Problems also happen more frequently when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are some common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Numerous operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians should know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be a lot quieter than IC engines which are really loud.
Coming in too near the machine is another common issue for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian needs to be in close proximity to be struck. For a lift truck which is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks such as the model driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.