To be able to operate any type of forklift, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies provide basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the warehouse or yard. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like for instance pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge concern which needs to be addressed and not disregarded. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 individuals each year.
Nonetheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken so as to keep everybody safe. Among the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents often occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to avoid placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common issue that needs to be addressed. Numerous operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the various types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be a lot quieter than IC engines which are really loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian needs to be in close enough proximity to be struck. For a forklift which is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested 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.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.