To be able to operate any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other people like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the warehouse or yard. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big concern which needs to be addressed and not overlooked. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20 percent of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 people each year.
Then again briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the major considerations is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are some common situations to look out for so as to avoid placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common issue that needs to be dealt with. Numerous operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians have to know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the various types of power sources. For instance, electric trucks can be much quieter than internal combustion engines which are really loud.
Coming in too near the machinery is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a lift truck which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to deal with risks such as the unit accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.