To be able to use any kind of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several businesses provide basic awareness training to other people such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge concern that needs to be addressed and not ignored. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20% of all forklift mishaps include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 people on a yearly basis.
Nevertheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the main considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent since she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
So as to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a forklift, there are some common situations to look out for. One of the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Numerous operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians have to be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be much quieter compared to IC engines that are super loud.
The other main problems are when pedestrians come in too near 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 like the unit accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.