In order to use any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies offer basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like for example pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge concern 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 accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals each and every year.
However frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps that should be taken so as to keep everybody safe. Amongst the main factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents normally happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because he or she has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are some common situations to look out for. Among the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Many operations have various degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians should be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various types of power sources. For example, electric trucks may be much quieter than IC engines that are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machinery is another common issue 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 forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to address risks like the model 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 important.