In order to utilize any type of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements have to be met. Some businesses provide basic awareness training to other individuals like visitors and office employees or sales people and other non-operators who might venture into the yard or warehouse. Though 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 dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A huge concern which will need to be addressed is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; approximately 20 percent of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 people each and every year.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are some basic steps that must be taken into consideration. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks in their work day. Among the main factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian ends up complacent since she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are some common situations to look out for. One of the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. A lot operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians should know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be really careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks can be a lot quieter than IC engines that are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the equipment is another common concern 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 forklift that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to address 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, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is key.