Pedestrian and forklift operations are commonly intertwined to create the flowing and productive system you have in place to run your business. Many safety procedures have been placed to prevent accidents between your forklift operators and their pedestrian co-workers. But what is the most effective action you could take to prevent forklift/pedestrian accidents? How effective are back-up alarms in preventing these accidents? We have taken a close look at the pedestrian/forklift relationship and believe that with the right knowledge and operating procedures in place accidents like these should never occur.

First, let's take a look at the proper operating procedures for forklift operators as it pertains to pedestrian safety:

• Operators must yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles
• Operators must always look in the direction of travel before moving the equipment
• Operators must come to a complete stop at each intersection or where visibility is obstructed
• Operators must sound the operator horn before backing up, passing an area where visibility is obstructed, before approaching an intersection or cross aisle , or in other situations with limited visibility
• Operators must travel at a safe speed where the equipment can be stopped safely at all times

These are good procedures to put in to place for pedestrian/forklift safety, but so far all the responsibility falls onto the operator. MH Equipment suggests having your non-operating pedestrians attend our "Forklift and Pedestrian Safety Course" specially designed for non-operators who work near moving pieces of heavy equipment. It is important to teach pedestrians about forklift operating characteristics, such as the dangers of tail swing, stopping distances, working in close proximity to forklifts and fixed objects, the differences between the operator's visibility and pedestrian visibility, and how to keep yourself out of the danger zone of moving equipment.

Here are some examples of good workplace safety practices to promote pedestrian safety:

• Limit lift truck travel speed
• Use high visibility work clothes or vests for pedestrians
• Restrict customers and non-employees from forklift operating areas
• Keep pedestrians separate from forklift operations by using walkways designated for pedestrians
• Keep pedestrians a safe distance from forklifts at all times, even when talking to the operator

Back Up Alarms

Many considerations must be investigated before installing or un-installing back up alarms on your forklifts. The layout of your plant, current noise levels, operator skill, ect. all must be considered when deciding what type of safety equipment to install on your lift trucks The back-up alarm however has become a popular warning device in the workplace, but it's effectivness has been disputed. Even though back up alarms are not required to be used by OSHA or ANSI (the only required warning device to be on a lift truck is the operator's horn) statistics reveal that nearly 70% of forklift users equip their trucks with backup alarms. However, available accident data does not show lower accident rate between forklifts and pedestrians for trucks equipped with the back up alarm.

Pedestrians can become accustomed to back up alarms sounding in the workplace, and on top of that they may become fatigued when hearing it. This can cause the pedestrians in the facility to start to ignore, or tune out, the alarm. After all, the back up alarm goes off the entire time the truck is in reverse, even if it is not moving. On the other hand, the operator could easily become dependent on the alarm to warn pedestrians and expect them to stay clear of the lift. The safest operator practice is to look back and sound the horn to signal a movement is going to occur.