Forklifts & pedestrian safety is a huge concern at most facilities & job sites.  If you want to be challenged or challenge a teammate this week, check out this week’s video on the topic.

I also show a brief micro-training that we have within the premium content of our Safety Consulting NOW training platform, so it’s well worth the watch.  👀👍🏻👍🏻

Listen 📣, there are some practical steps that can be taken to protect 🚧 the workers on foot near heavy equipment, & also protect the drivers from having to live with the harsh realities of injuring a teammate. 

This video will help set you & your team on the right path.  ✅✅

Disclaimer: The 2020 SSG emphasis program is designed for owners and managers to ensure they are adhering to, and maintaining the technical elements of their OSHA compliance and safety program. Although some may be used for employee training, it was not designed as such. Check out the NOW site to gain access to our employee-based, OSHA-compliant trainings on numerous topics.

Full Video Transcript:

“Welcome back to week 7 of the 2020 SSG emphasis program where we’re kicking off our 3rd series on forklifts.  As always, this is brought to you by Safety Consulting NOW, a full scale online safety training learning management platform packed full of relevant, OSHA-required trainings and micro-refresher trainings.  In fact, this week, we’re gonna kick off this emphasis training with a short micro-training directly from the Premium content on the NOW platform.  Just as we are this week, this video covers pedestrian safety.  These are the perfect compliments to your existing safety training program and can be easily implemented and facilitated within your operations.  So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s get a quick sample.  (SEE VIDEO FOR SAMPLE)

Now look, I know we’ve been getting into the OSHA and ANSI regulations regarding this topic. Unfortunately, there’s not much said about pedestrians in these regs, but as we saw in the video, and you may have seen within your own operations, we do know that hazards exist for pedestrians. So, I wanna run through some important points we hit when we’re conducting our forklift trainings. First off, one of the best things you can do is separate forklift traffic and other workers when it’s possible. To accomplish this, if possible, you should designate some clearly marked pedestrian walk-ways. And listen, I know some of you are short on space, but, that’s all the more reason to try and create painted walkways within your facility.

Another thing you can do is restrict the use of forklifts near time clocks, break rooms, cafeterias, and main exits, particularly when the flow of workers on foot is at its peak (such as at the end of a shift or during breaks). You can also install physical barriers to ensure that workstations are isolated from forklift traffic. Next, I want you to evaluate intersections and other blind corners to determine whether overhead dome mirrors could improve the visibility of forklift operators or workers on foot.

Another very popular feature were seeing used at many of our clients are the blue lights that travel roughly 10-15ft in front of the forklift so pedestrians and other drivers can see a forklift is approaching before it actually gets to an intersection. And for the drivers, we train them to make every effort to alert workers when they’re nearby. We want you to use horns, audible backup alarms, and flashing lights to warn workers and other forklift operators in the area. As we just discussed, the use of lights can be especially important in areas where the ambient noise levels are high.

And as we continue to assess the things we can control, educating your teammates and especially new drivers on the details of your facility is critical. So, I want you to ensure that your jobsite or work area is routinely inspected by a person who can identify hazards and conditions that are dangerous to your teammates. Hazards they’d be looking for might include obstructions in the aisle, blind corners and intersections, and forklifts that come too close to workers on foot. It’s also important that the person who conducts the inspections actually have the authority to implement prompt corrective measures. Another important part has to do with planning your ongoing operations in the shop or in the field. You should install all workstations, control panels, and equipment away from the forklift aisle when possible. And basic stuff like not storing bins, racks, or other materials at corners, intersections, or other locations that obstruct the view of operators or workers at workstations.

Now, when it comes to accountability, you have to have policies that enforce safe driving practices like obeying speed limits, stopping at stop signs, and slowing down and blowing the horn at intersections. And listen, I don’t care how long a driver has been working with you, or how good they are. If they break these rules, you have to take some action. I’ll let you decide what that is, but if you don’t, you’re literally crippling your safety culture and that practice of allowing things to go unchecked will be noticed by everyone else and you’ll see your efforts in other areas start to deteriorate. Don’t forget how dangerous these forklifts are. As we discuss in our NOW forklift operator training, even driving at low speeds carries tremendous and deadly impact. So please take that seriously.

And finally, it’s important you’re checking for cracks, crumbling edges, and other defects on loading docks, aisles, and other operating surfaces. All of these items have led to severe accidents and deaths and I can promise you that no one thought they would. So as you go about your operations this week, I’m challenging you to be looking for these items in your facility and yes, even at your ever changing job sites. You can still create designated walk areas and keep heavy equipment in designated areas as well. Your attention to matters like this is hugely important to the way you run your overall operations and how you’re choosing to pour into your safety culture.

So look, if you have any questions, reach out to us at info@summitsafetygroup.com, call us at 417-823-SAFE, or if you’re interested in seeing what all of the buzz is about, go to training.safetyconsultingnow.com and you can register for a FRES mini course that’ll give you a little taste of the premium content we have on there. We already have thousands of employees using the platform and it’s changing the way they view safety. Now stick with me for next week where we’ll be diving into some common OSHA citations and I’ll be showing you actual pictures of what you need to watch for. I look forward to it and for Summit Safety Group, and Safety Consulting NOW, I’m Jake Woolfenden and I’ll see you in the next one.”