Particular OSHA requirements have to be met so as to operate any kind of lift truck. A lot of the businesses using lift trucks will provide basic training to the other sales and office staff in combination with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't particularly address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, like for instance pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A big concern which will need to be addressed is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20 percent of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 people each year.
In order to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Among the main factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents normally happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also happen more frequently when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are several common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem which has to be addressed. Numerous operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the various types of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be much quieter compared to IC engines that are super loud.
The other main issues 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 near to be struck. For a forklift that is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks like for example the model accidentally driving 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 key.