Particular OSHA requirements need to be met so as to utilize any kind of lift truck. Many of the businesses utilizing forklifts would provide basic training to the other sales and office employees along with visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a huge concern that needs to be addressed and not ignored. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20% of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 people on an annual basis.
Nonetheless briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are some basic steps that must be taken in order to keep everybody safe. One of the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian mishaps normally occur in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also occur 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 some common situations to look out for. Among the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. A lot operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks could be much quieter than IC engines that are really loud.
The other main issues are when pedestrians come in too close proximity of the equipment. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a lift truck that is running, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks like the model accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
To make certain that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is vital.