To be able to utilize any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Some businesses provide 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. Even if OSHA doesn't specifically deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big concern which needs to be dealt with and not overlooked. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; about 20% of all forklift mishaps include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to approximately 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
However frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are some basic steps which should be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Among the main considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents often happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also occur 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 so as to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common issue that has to be addressed. Many operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians have to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the various kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter as opposed to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
The other major 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 forklift, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks like for example the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.