In order to operate any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies provide basic awareness training to other people 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 specifically deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures so as to protect employees from some risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue that would have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20% of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 individuals each and every year.
Then again briefly or frequently people are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everyone safe. Amongst the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally occur in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur 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 so as to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that has to be dealt with. A lot operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians have to be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter as opposed to internal combustion engines which are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too near the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck which is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with 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 remains paramount and stays top notch.