A Guide for Pedestrian Crossing when Forklifts are Present
Forklift pedestrian crossing safety is a term that many people search for on the Internet. That’s because facility managers and safety managers are trying to figure out how to have both the forklift and pedestrian in the same space where they can cross each other safety, thus forklift pedestrian crossing safety was born. OSHA discusses areas of safety, especially for pedestrian traffic, but for this article, we’re going to focus more on the pedestrian side and discuss what can the pedestrian do to help keep themselves safe as well as the driver of the forklift.
What is Forklift Pedestrian Crossing Safety?
Forklift pedestrian crossing safety takes into consideration both the safety of the forklift driver as well as the pedestrian when both parties are present and within close proximity. Forklifts cross paths with pedestrians, and pedestrian’s cross paths with forklifts. The trick is making each other aware of the other. Now there’s been plenty of training and discussion on what the forklift driver must do to be safe, but little focus on educating the pedestrian. Let’s discuss a few areas that the pedestrian can do be keep themselves and the forklift driver safe.
Pedestrian Guide Tip #1
Get the Driver’s Attention: One of the best ways for forklift pedestrian crossing safety to occur is to make eye contact with the forklift driver. With the noise level being as high as it is in a manufacturing or distribution center, it helps to get the attention of the forklift driver so he knows a pedestrian is nearby.
Now, if there are a lot of workers and forklifts going about, it can be a life saving and/or injury free solution to get the S3 Pedestrian Detection system. It will monitor for humans and objects and inform the driver with both visual and audio cues when there is a human or object nearby.
Pedestrian Guide Tip #2
TIt’s Just Too Loud!: In tip #1, we just discussed about how loud it can be in a facility. Pedestrians cannot rely on whistling, screaming, or talking very loudly. With machines working, mobile equipment moving around, the human voice just won’t help. So, if the pedestrian says, “I called out to the driver”, remember the forklift driver most often will not hear the pedestrian. And, you never know…the forklift driver may be wearing ear plugs or protective ear gear and will not hear a voice calling when not visible.
This is why the S3 PDS provides both visual and audio cues. It will catch their attention with one or both of these ways.
Pedestrian Guide Tip #3
Yes, pedestrians, forklifts do have a braking system. The forklift does have the ability to stop. However, if the forklift is carrying a load and needs to stop quickly, the load can and will move. The movement may cause for the load to shift and move, potentially falling from low or high heights. Not only can the pedestrian get hit from the load itself, but can also be injured from the debris that falls from the forks. As you can image, there’s also a cost associated with the damaged goods and anything else that gets damaged such as the racking system, forklift to name a few.
The S3 PDS can help avoid situations like this by warning the forklift driver that a pedestrian is nearby.
Pedestrian Guide Tip #4
Corners and pedestrians working under a racking system can be very dangerous. This is because the forklift can’t see what’s coming around the corner or know if a pedestrian is coming out form under the racking system. Take extreme caution in these two areas as the forklift driver cannot see a pedestrian in these areas.
Pedestrians can take as much caution as possible, but these two areas are very dangerous. The S3 PDS will let the forklift driver know if a pedestrian is nearby. These are high risk situations that need the extra protection.
Summary
Now you have the top 4 ways pedestrians can help keep themselves and forklift drivers safe. Forklift pedestrian crossing safety is a real issue and forklift accidents can be avoided with the S3 PDS. Get a demo of the system today. Contact us at sales@siera.ai.
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