In order to utilize any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big concern which needs to be addressed and not ignored. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20% of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
Nevertheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are some basic steps which should be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Amongst the major considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents often happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since 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 lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. One of the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Numerous operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians need to be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different types of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be a lot quieter compared to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machinery. 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 so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to address risks like for example 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.