Top 3 Ways Pedestrians Can Avoid Colliding with a Forklift

Forklift pedestrian accidents consist of both fatalities and injuries. Did you know that in 2019 alone, there were 8,140 non-fatal injuries between a forklift and a pedestrian? Many times, the forklift operator is to blame for the forklift accident, however, some blame needs to be placed on the pedestrian as well. We’ve discussed many times what forklift operators can do to avoid a forklift pedestrian accident, we’re going to flip the conversation over to the pedestrian and what they can do to help reduce forklift pedestrian accidents.

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3 Ways Pedestrians Can Avoid Forklift Collisions

#1 Keep a Safe Distance from the Forklift

Since pedestrians work everyday with forklifts, they have a tendency to grow immune to their presence. Sometimes it’s to the point they walk, cross and work too close to a forklift. In many of these instances, when the pedestrian is too close to the forklift, and there isn’t a forklift safety system installed on the forklift itself to provide a warning or alert, the pedestrian has a higher probability of getting hit and injured.

Pedestrians as well as forklift drivers need to become more aware of their surroundings. Not only does the forklift drivers need to keep current on training, but so does the pedestrian. This is the best way for both to keep safety top of mind.

#2 Make the Forklift Driver Aware of their Presence

If you haven’t purchased an S3 Pedestrian Detection System yet, then it’s critical for the pedestrian or worker to make their presence known. The best way is for the pedestrian to try to make eye contact with the forklift driver. Then the pedestrian will be top of mind.

However, if the forklift operator begins to focus on his job at hand, he may forget about the pedestrian. It happens. To ensure optimum safety, install the S3 Pedestrian Detection System. This way the system will keep alerting the driver when the pedestrian is within the danger zone.

#3 No Walking Under Forklift Forks

It’s like crossing a 4 lane busy street with 3 seconds left on the crossing sign. You’re taking a chance at getting hit by a car. This is just as dangerous. Going underneath a forklift truck’s forks is not the best idea as the forklift operator cannot see you. You simply won’t know when the forks may be coming down or even going up. It’s best to keep a safe distance from the forklift truck when it’s in operation.

Get Help with a Forklift Safety System

The best way to protect from a forklift pedestrian accident is to get an extra set of ‘eyes’. The S3 Pedestrian Detection System watches or scans for pedestrians and objects as the forklift operator moves about the facility completed his tasks at hand. Since the driver nor the pedestrian can work and watch for accidents at the same time, the S3 Forklift Safety System can. That’s its job.

Regardless if the pedestrian is partially or fully in sight, the S3 PDS will identify and alert the driver that a person is within the danger zone.

Contact us at sales@siera.ai to begin protecting workers in your facility from unnecessary forklift pedestrian accidents.