Particular OSHA requirements have to be met in order to use any kind of lift truck. Many of the businesses using lift trucks would provide basic training to the other office and sales staff in addition to visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures so as to protect employees from some dangers, like for example pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue which needs to be addressed and not disregarded. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20 percent of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to approximately 19,000 individuals each and every year.
So as to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps which should be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day. Amongst the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps normally happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also occur more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
So as to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are some common situations to look out for. One of the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Many operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians should be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be really careful of the different kinds of power sources. For instance, electric trucks may be much quieter as opposed to IC engines that are really loud.
The other major issues are when pedestrians come in too near the machinery. 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 forklift that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks such as the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is important.