To be able to operate any kind of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements have to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals such as visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big concern which has to be addressed and not ignored. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; roughly 20 percent of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 people every year.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps which must be taken into account. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. Among the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents usually occur in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
In order 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. A lot operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians must be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common concern for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to deal with risks like the model 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.