In order to use any type of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other people such as visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, like for instance pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge issue which will need to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20% of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 people every year.
However frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps which must be taken in order to keep everybody safe. One of the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps usually happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Problems also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common issue that has to be addressed. Many operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians need to be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks can be much quieter than internal combustion engines that are really loud.
The other main problems are when pedestrians come in too near the machinery. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian has to be in close enough proximity to be struck. For a lift truck that is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to deal with risks like for example the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is important.