Specific OSHA requirements have to be met in order to use any type of forklift. A lot of the companies utilizing lift trucks will offer basic training to the other sales and office employees along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a huge problem that has to be dealt with and not disregarded. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; roughly 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are some basic steps that should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently people are around industrial trucks in their work day. Amongst the main considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents often occur in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. One of the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians should know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks may be a lot quieter as opposed to IC engines which are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks such as the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.