Particular OSHA requirements need to be met so as to use any type of lift truck. Many of the companies using forklifts will offer basic training to the other sales and office employees in addition to visitors and other non operators who might 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 should take measures so as to protect employees from certain dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A big concern which would need to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; around 20 percent of all forklift accidents include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to around 19,000 individuals each and every year.
In order to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how frequently or briefly people are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the major factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents usually 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.
There are several common situations to look out for in order to avoid placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem that needs to be dealt with. Many operations have various degrees of blind corners or intersections which pedestrians have to be aware of. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks can be much quieter as opposed to IC engines that are super 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 has to be in close enough proximity to be struck. For a lift truck which is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks like the unit driving accidentally over the foot of a pedestrian.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.