Specific OSHA requirements have to be met so as to use any kind of lift truck. A lot of the businesses using forklifts would provide basic training to the other sales and office staff along with visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't specifically deal with forklift 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 lift trucks in motion.
A huge concern which would need to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; about 20% of all forklift accidents consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
Then again briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are several basic steps which must be taken in order to keep everybody safe. One of the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian accidents often happen in situations where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety measures. Issues also occur more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts.
In order to avoid putting yourself at potential risk of being struck by a forklift, there are some common situations to look out for. Among the most common problems is when pedestrians did not see the lift truck. Lots of operations have various degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians have to be aware of. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different types of power sources. For example, electric trucks can be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines that are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common issue for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a forklift which is working, a four foot safety zone is suggested in order to make a safe perimeter for everyone. This helps to deal with risks such as the unit accidentally driving over a pedestrian's foot.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make certain that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.