In order to utilize any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office employees 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 need to take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue which needs to be addressed and not disregarded. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; approximately 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day. One of the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Problems also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since he or she has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
So as to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are some common situations to look out for. One of the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Many operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians should know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the various types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be much quieter as opposed to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the equipment is another common issue 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 lift truck which is running, 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 a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.