Specific OSHA requirements have to be met in order to use any kind of lift truck. Many of the businesses using lift trucks would provide basic training to the other sales and office staff along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures in order to protect employees from some risks, like for instance pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a huge problem that has to be addressed and not ignored. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; roughly 20% of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 individuals on an annual basis.
However frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps that must be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Amongst the main factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Issues also occur more frequently when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are some common situations to look out for so as to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common issue which needs to be addressed. Numerous operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians must be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be really careful of the various kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be much quieter than internal combustion engines that are really loud.
The other major issues are when pedestrians come in too near the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to address risks like for instance the model driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.