In order to operate any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies provide basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue that has to be dealt with and not ignored. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 people on a yearly basis.
In order to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps that should be taken into account. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the main considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are several common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common issue which has to be addressed. A lot operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be really careful of the different types of power sources. For instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than internal combustion engines which are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a lift truck which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to deal with risks like the unit driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.