To be able to operate any type of forklift, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Some businesses offer basic awareness training to other people such as visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge problem that will have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to roughly 19,000 people each and every year.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps which should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. Among the main factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also happen more often 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 forklift, there are some common situations to look out for. Among the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Numerous operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians should know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks may be a lot quieter compared to internal combustion engines that are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machinery. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a forklift that is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks such as the unit accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.