To be able to use any type of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several businesses provide basic awareness training to other people like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from some risks, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge issue that would have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; approximately 20 percent of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 individuals every year.
Nevertheless frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are some basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Amongst the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since he or she has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that has to be dealt with. Lots of operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians must be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks may be a lot quieter as opposed to IC engines that are super loud.
Coming in too near the equipment is another common concern for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a forklift that is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to address risks such as the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.