Specific OSHA requirements have to be met in order to utilize any type of lift truck. A lot of the companies using lift trucks will offer basic training to the other sales and office staff in addition to visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Even if OSHA doesn't specifically address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A big problem that will have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; approximately 20 percent of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means around 19,000 people on an annual basis.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are some basic steps that should be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks during their work day. One of the main considerations is that forklift pedestrian mishaps normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Problems also happen more often 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 so as to avoid placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem which has to be dealt with. Many operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks may be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to deal with risks such as the model accidentally driving 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 important.