In order to use any type of lift truck, certain OSHA requirements have to be met. Several businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the warehouse or yard. Though OSHA doesn't specifically deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, like for instance pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge problem that will have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20 percent of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 people every year.
However briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps that must be taken so as to keep everybody safe. One of the main considerations is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps often happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. 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 potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. A lot operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians need to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks can be a lot quieter than IC engines that are really 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 has to be in close enough 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 everyone. This really helps to address risks like the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.