To be able 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 employees or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures so as to protect employees from some risks, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue which needs to be addressed and not ignored. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 people on an annual basis.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps which must be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. One of the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also happen more frequently 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 potential risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common issue which needs to be addressed. A lot operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various types of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter compared to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the equipment 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 near to be struck. For a forklift that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to address risks like the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is key.