In order to utilize any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Several businesses offer basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the warehouse or yard. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from some risks, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge concern which would have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20 percent of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to roughly 19,000 people each and every year.
Nevertheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are some basic steps that should be taken so as to keep everybody safe. One of the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps normally occur in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Problems also happen more frequently when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem that needs to be dealt with. Numerous operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks could be much quieter compared to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machinery is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a forklift which is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to address risks like the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is important.