Particular OSHA requirements have to be met so as to operate any kind of forklift. Many of the businesses utilizing forklifts will provide basic training to the other sales and office employees in combination with visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big problem that has to be addressed and not ignored. According to 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 translates to about 19,000 people every year.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are several basic steps which should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. One of the main considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally occur in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Problems also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for so as to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that needs to be addressed. A lot operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians have to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks could be much quieter as opposed to IC engines which are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close 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 helps to deal with risks like for example the unit driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.