To be able to operate any kind of lift truck, specific OSHA requirements need to be met. Several companies provide basic awareness training to other people like visitors and office staff or sales people and other non-operators who may venture into the yard or warehouse. Though OSHA doesn't specifically address lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from certain dangers, like for instance pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
Pedestrian safety is a big problem which has to be addressed and not overlooked. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means about 19,000 individuals each and every year.
Nevertheless frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are several basic steps that must be taken so as to keep everyone safe. Among the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps often happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also occur more frequently 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 several common situations to look out for. One of the most common issues is when pedestrians did not see the forklift. Numerous operations have varying degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians must be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the various types of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be a lot quieter as opposed to IC engines that 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 lift truck, the pedestrian has to be near to be struck. For a forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks like the model driving accidentally 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 important.