In order to utilize any kind of lift truck, specific 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. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue that needs to be addressed and not disregarded. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; about 20 percent of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals every year.
Nonetheless frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps that should be taken so as to keep everyone safe. One of the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents often occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems 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 some common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. A lot operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the various types of power sources. For example, electric trucks may be a lot quieter as opposed to internal combustion engines which are super loud.
Coming in too near the equipment is another common concern for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a forklift that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks like the model accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.