In order to operate any kind of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements need to be met. Some companies offer 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. Even if OSHA doesn't specifically address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like for instance pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue which would have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to approximately 19,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
However briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he 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 lift truck. Many operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians have to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be much quieter as opposed to IC engines that are really loud.
The other main problems are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian needs to be in close enough proximity 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 address risks such as the model accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is key.