Particular OSHA requirements need to be met in order to use any type of forklift. A lot of the businesses using lift trucks will offer basic training to the other sales and office employees in combination with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't particularly address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers must take measures in order to protect employees from certain dangers, like pedestrians exposed to lift trucks in motion.
A big issue which would have 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 comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to roughly 19,000 people each year.
Then again frequently or briefly individuals are around industrial trucks in their work day, there are some basic steps which should be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian accidents usually happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. Problems also happen more frequently when the pedestrian ends up complacent because she or he has become used to frequent interaction with lift trucks.
There are several common situations to look out for so as to prevent placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that has to be addressed. Numerous operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners which pedestrians need to know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks could be much quieter than IC engines that are super loud.
Coming in too near the machine is another common concern for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian has to be in close proximity to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to deal with risks such as 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.