How do employees operate safely around pedestrians?

• OSHA has specific requirements for workplace environments where PITs are being operated to ensure pedestrian safety.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that permanent aisles and passageways be free from obstructions and appropriately marked where mechanical handling equipment is used. OSHA recommends that employers consider separating pedestrians from lift trucks by providing:

• Pedestrian walkways;
• Permanent railings or other protective barriers;
• If pedestrians must use equipment aisles, adequate walking space at least on one side;
• If barriers cannot be used, pedestrian walkway striping on the floor;
• Convex mirrors at blind aisle intersections; and/or
• Traffic control signs and posted speed limits.

Operators and pedestrians should be trained on the plant’s procedures and hazards associated with Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) operation in pedestrian areas.

It is noteworthy that OSHA proposed a nearly $13,000 penalty for a serious violation of Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act when a distribution center allegedly exposed employees to struck-by hazards from PITs and over-the-road trucks in the yard area at night. The agency explains that the company could abate the hazards by providing and requiring the use of high visibility reflective vests for workers who walk or work in the yard area.