Particular OSHA requirements have to be met so as to use any type of lift truck. A lot of the companies utilizing lift trucks would provide basic training to the other sales and office staff in combination with visitors and other non operators who might venture into the distribution areas. Even if 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 some dangers, like for example pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge concern which will have to be addressed is pedestrian safety. Based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH; approximately 20% of all forklift mishaps comprise a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means approximately 19,000 people each year.
Then again briefly or frequently people are around industrial trucks during their work day, there are some basic steps which must be taken in order to keep everybody safe. Among the major considerations is that forklift pedestrian mishaps often happen in cases where the pedestrian is not aware of safety precautions. Issues also occur more frequently when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are some common situations to look out for in order to prevent placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the lift truck is a common problem that needs to be dealt with. Numerous operations have various degrees of blind corners or intersections that pedestrians must know. Sometimes pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be really careful of the different kinds of power sources. For example, electric trucks may be a lot quieter than internal combustion engines that are really loud.
The other main problems are when pedestrians come in too near the machine. Common sense tells us that in order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, the pedestrian needs 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 really helps to address risks such as the unit driving accidentally over a pedestrian's foot.
Following and implementing strict safety protocol helps to make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch.