To be able to utilize any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Several businesses offer basic awareness training to other people like visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue which has to be addressed and not ignored. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps that should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day. One of the major factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because he or she has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for so as to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem which has to be addressed. Many operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks may be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines which are super 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 near 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 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 remains paramount and stays top notch.