To be able to use any kind of forklift, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several 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 lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from some risks, like for instance pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A big problem which would have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20% of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 individuals each year.
Then again briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Amongst the main factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps often happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since he or she has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Among the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. A lot operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians have to be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the various kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks can be much quieter than IC engines that are super loud.
Coming in too near the machine 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 working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to address risks such as the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.