In order to operate any type of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Some businesses offer basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge concern that will have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; approximately 20% of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
In order to keep everybody safe, there are some basic steps that should be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. One of the major factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are some common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians must be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different types of power sources. For instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too near the machinery is another common concern 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 in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks like the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.