People are injured by forklifts every day. If you work around forklifts following some simple rules can keep you from being hurt:
- Just like you would on the road, stop before crossing an aisle in your warehouse or any area where you know the forklifts operate and look both ways.
- Listen for horns and look for flashing lights.
- If you see a forklift approaching, wait for instructions from the operator.
- Never walk under an elevated load or forks.
- Never take short cuts under racking.
- Never hitch a ride on a forklift.
- Never approach a forklift from behind or assume you know which way the operator is going to turn.
- Watch you don’t trip over the forks of a parked forklift.
- If your workplace had designated walkways, use them.
- If you are spotting for the forklift operator, always make sure the operator can see you.
- Wearing high vis clothing will help the operator to see you.
And if you see another pedestrian behaving in a dangerous way around the forklift, tell them.
If your company does not have guidelines for pedestrians around forklifts, they should.