Specific OSHA requirements need to be met so as to operate any kind of lift truck. Many of the businesses utilizing lift trucks would offer basic training to the other sales and office employees along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue which needs to be dealt with and not ignored. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20% of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals each and every year.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are some 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 major considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents often occur in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since she or he has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for so as to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that needs to be dealt with. Lots of operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians should be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various types of power sources. For instance, electric trucks may be much quieter compared to IC engines that are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck which is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks such as 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.