To be able to use any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Several companies offer 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 deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge concern that needs to be dealt with and not overlooked. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; approximately 20% of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 individuals each year.
In order to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps that should be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the main considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents usually occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent since she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
So as to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Among the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians should be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different types of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter compared to IC engines which are really loud.
The other main problems are when pedestrians come in too near the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a forklift which is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks such as the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is vital.