Pedestrian Awareness

17 Sep Pedestrian Awareness

A forklift operator is tasked with two distinct duties: their workload, which includes working on a schedule efficiently, and keeping everyone with whom they share a workspace safe. Accidents do happen. Controlling and managing a forklift is a large responsibility; larger forklifts weigh several times more than a standard car. A forklift is a big machine and it can do serious damage to people and property; every year people are killed in forklift accidents. Here are a few forklift safety tips that will help to keep everyone as safe as possible around a forklift.

The first rule of forklift safety is that forklift operators should always remember to yield the right of way to pedestrian traffic. Anytime there is pedestrian traffic in the forklift’s workspace, the forklift should never try to simply go around them; it’s always a good idea to alert any pedestrian workers of forklift traffic, and to wait for them to clear the area before continuing. And for the pedestrian workers within the warehouse, it’s never a good idea to assume that a forklift operator can see them. Always, always, always err on the side of caution around forklifts. When pedestrians and forklift operators need to communicate it’s a good idea to have established hand-signal communication that is simple yet effective at communicating purpose.

Another tip to lower the chance of a forklift accident is to optimize the design of your warehouse and eliminate unlit aisles and acute-blind corners. The addition of quality lighting, cones, and signage can only increase awareness and perception throughout the warehouse. In many warehouses, audible cues and warnings can alert those on foot to the presence of forklift traffic.

And the final tip to reduce the chance of accident is to keep equipment clean and in top working condition. That means daily inspection checks and repairing or replacing broken components.

If you have any questions about forklift safety and would like to schedule a class session with the forklift professionals at Anderson Forklift then call today.

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