Particular OSHA requirements have to be met in order to use any type of lift truck. Many of the businesses utilizing forklifts will offer basic training to the other office and sales employees along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Even if 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 risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big problem that needs to be addressed and not overlooked. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; approximately 20 percent of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 people on an annual basis.
Then again briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps that must be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Among the major considerations is that lift truck pedestrian accidents normally occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Problems also happen more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are several common situations to look out for so as to prevent placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common issue that needs to be addressed. Many operations have different degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians have to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be very careful of the various kinds of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be much quieter than IC engines which are super loud.
The other major problems are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the machine. 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 running, a four foot safety zone is suggested so as to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This really helps to address risks such as the model driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.