Particular OSHA requirements need to be met so as to utilize any type of forklift. Many of the businesses utilizing lift trucks would offer basic training to the other office and sales employees in combination with visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, such as pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A big problem that would have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; roughly 20% of all forklift accidents comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 individuals 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 during their work day. Amongst the major factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps often happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
In order to avoid putting yourself at possible risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Numerous operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different types of power sources. For instance, electric trucks could be a lot quieter than IC engines that are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the equipment is another common issue 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 lift truck 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 such as the model driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is key.