To be able to operate any type of forklift, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several businesses offer basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue that would need to be addressed is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 individuals each and every year.
However 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. Among the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
So as to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a forklift, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Lots of operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than IC engines that are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too near 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 lift truck which is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks such as the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.