Particular OSHA requirements need to be met in order to utilize any type of lift truck. A lot of the companies using lift trucks would offer basic training to the other office and sales employees in addition to visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Even if OSHA doesn't particularly deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers need to take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
Pedestrian safety is a big concern that needs to be dealt with and not overlooked. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; about 20% of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 people each year.
In order to keep everyone safe, there are some basic steps that should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Problems also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are several 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 lift truck is a common problem which has to be dealt with. A lot operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks can be a lot quieter compared to IC engines that are really loud.
Coming in too near the machine is another common issue for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks like for example the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.