In order to use any kind of forklift, certain 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 warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift 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 lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue that has to be addressed and not ignored. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20% of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 people each and every year.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day. Amongst the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents usually occur in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because he or she has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
So as to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Numerous operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians should be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks may be much quieter as opposed to internal combustion engines which are super loud.
The other major issues are when pedestrians come in too near the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian has to be in close enough proximity to be struck. For a forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to address risks like the model accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.