Particular OSHA requirements have to be met in order to utilize any kind of forklift. A lot of the businesses utilizing lift trucks will provide basic training to the other sales and office employees in combination 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 have to take measures in order to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge issue that will need to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; around 20% of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to roughly 19,000 people on a yearly basis.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are some basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. Among the major factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent since he or she has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common issue that has to be addressed. A lot operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians need to know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
The other major problems are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to deal with risks like the unit driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.