Specific OSHA requirements have to be met in order to operate any kind of forklift. A lot of the businesses using forklifts would offer basic training to the other office and sales employees in addition to visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue which has to be dealt with and not overlooked. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to approximately 19,000 people every year.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps which must be taken into consideration. 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 often happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent since 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 lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Numerous operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians have to be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be really careful of the different types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian needs to be in close proximity to be struck. For a forklift 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 such as the unit accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.