Specific OSHA requirements have to be met in order to utilize any kind of lift truck. A lot of the businesses using lift trucks would offer basic training to the other office and sales staff in addition to visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't specifically deal with lift truck pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers have to take measures in order to protect employees from some dangers, such as pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge issue that would have to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. According to the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; approximately 20 percent of all forklift mishaps include a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic translates to about 19,000 people on an annual basis.
So as to keep everyone safe, there are some basic steps which should be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Among the main factors is that lift truck pedestrian mishaps usually happen in cases where the pedestrian is ignorant of safety precautions. 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 so as to avoid placing yourself at possible risk from being struck by a lift truck. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common issue which needs to be addressed. Many operations have different degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the forklift. Be careful of the different types of power sources. Like for instance, electric trucks could be much quieter compared to IC engines which are super loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the equipment is another common problem for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a forklift, common sense tells us that the pedestrian needs to be near to be struck. For a lift truck which is running, a four foot safety zone is recommended so as to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This really helps to address risks like the model accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
Implementing and following strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety stays top notch and remains paramount.