Particular OSHA requirements need to be met in order to utilize any type of forklift. Many of the businesses using lift trucks will offer basic training to the other sales and office employees along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even though OSHA doesn't particularly address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures so as to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a huge issue which needs to be dealt with and not disregarded. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; about 20 percent of all forklift mishaps include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to roughly 19,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
Nevertheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps that must be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the main factors is that forklift pedestrian mishaps normally 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 potential risk of being struck by a lift truck, there are several common situations to look out for. Amongst the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have various degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians should know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be very careful of the various types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks may be a lot quieter compared to internal combustion engines which are really loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too near the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, the pedestrian has to be in close enough proximity 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 everyone. This really helps to deal with risks such as the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, following and the implementation of strict safety protocol is vital.