​Tips For Pedestrian Safety In a Warehouse

5th Apr 2019

Question: What are some of the ways you can ensure pedestrians are safe in a warehouse?

Anyone who is involved in the operations of the warehouse but is not responsible for handling the heavy machinery that is used qualifies to be called a pedestrian. Most of the times the work they do requires them to move around the warehouse which can lead them to the same paths taken by forklifts.

Now if the warehouse operations are not properly planned this can be a recipe for all manner of accidents. But even despite the efforts by the organization, it is therefore important that the pedestrian also takes personal effort to ensure they are safe during operations. Here is how;

Keep A Distance From Lift Trucks

A simple mishandling of a forklift not only puts the forklift operator at risk but everything within its radius. For example, a sideways tip over of the forklift can easily crash the pedestrians who are within the radius of the forklift. Another example is if there is a tip over and the raised counterbalance of the forklift comes crashing down on a pedestrian standing very close. It can cause fatal injuries or even death on the people close by.

Don't Ride Along In a Forklift

One of the key reasons why forklifts operators need to be trained in forklift operations is to guarantee both their safety and that of other workers. During training, they are normally taught how to respond to different accidents that occur in accidents. Therefore an ordinary warehouse employee who does not have similar training is exposed to a high level of risk if they choose to ride on a forklift. Unless a forklift is designed to also accommodate a pedestrian then its use should be limited to authorized personnel.

Always Use The Designated Safe Spaces

A good warehouse design should factor spaces where pedestrians are safer. One of the ways this can be done is through the use of pedestrian walkways that can either be defined using barriers or stripping on the floor. The purpose of this walkways is to ensure chances of contact between the forklift operators and the pedestrians is limited thus reducing chances of accidents.

Therefore if you want to be safe in a warehouse make sure that you keep a distance from the forklift. If you are not an authorized forklift operator then you also need to keep off the forklifts. Some warehouses normally include well designated safe spaces that are vital for the safety of the employees.

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