To be able to operate any type of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies offer basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue which needs to be addressed and not overlooked. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the major considerations is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps usually occur in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
In order to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Among the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians should be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks may be a lot quieter than IC engines which are really loud.
Coming in too near the machine is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck which is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to deal with risks such as the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is key.