In order to utilize any kind of forklift, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Several businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the warehouse or yard. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue that would need to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 individuals each year.
Then again frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are some basic steps which must be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Amongst the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps normally occur in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also happen more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent since she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
There are several common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem that needs to be addressed. Numerous operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks may be much quieter than IC engines which are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common problem 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 which is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to deal with risks like the model driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.