In order to utilize any type of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements have to be met. Several companies provide basic awareness training to other people such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Though 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 risks, like for example pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue which will have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals every year.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are some basic steps that must be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. Amongst the major factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps usually occur in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
So as to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Among the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Many operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians should know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than IC engines that are really loud.
The other major 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 forklift, 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 everybody. This helps to deal with risks such as the model driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is key.