Walking Safely Around Forklifts

You do not have to drive a forklift to be hurt by one. In any plant, warehouse, store or yard, people on foot share the floor with machines that can weigh about 9,000 pounds, carry loads that block the driver's view and swing their back ends wide in a turn. This guide is for anyone who walks near them, including pickers, cleaners, maintenance staff, supervisors, visitors and truck drivers.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Explain why a forklift is harder to see, hear and avoid than a car.
• Use walkways and crossings the way they are meant to be used.
• Move through aisle ends and blind corners safely.
• Keep the right distance from a working truck and from raised loads.

Why Forklifts Are Different

Your instincts about cars will mislead you around a forklift.

• Rear steering. The back end swings out in a turn. A truck that seems to be driving past you can still hit you.
• Blind spots. The mast, the load and the overhead guard all block the driver's view.
• Quiet motors. Electric trucks make very little noise, and in a loud building you may hear nothing.
• Long stopping distance. A loaded truck on a dusty or wet floor cannot stop quickly, and hard braking can drop the load.
• Reverse travel. Drivers often back up, so a truck may move toward you with its forks pointing away.

Use the Walkways

Many sites mark pedestrian walkways with paint or barriers. Stay inside them, and cross truck lanes only at marked crossings. If a pallet is blocking a walkway, do not step into traffic to get around it without looking, and tell your supervisor so it gets moved.

Wear what your site requires. A high-visibility vest or shirt helps a driver pick you out of a busy background.

Stop at Every Aisle End

Aisle ends, doorways and corners are where people and trucks meet without warning. Build this habit:

1. Stop before you step out.
2. Look both ways, and check any convex mirror.
3. Listen for a horn or backup alarm, and watch for a blue or red spotlight on the floor, which can signal a truck coming.
4. If you are moving a cart or jack with a horn, tap it at the intersection.
5. Step out only when the way is clear.

Make Eye Contact

Never assume a driver has seen you. Catch the driver's eyes before you cross in front of or behind a truck. A nod or wave tells you they know where you are. If you cannot see the driver's face, assume they cannot see you, and wait.

Earbuds, phones and scanners are a common reason people step into a truck's path. If you need to read a screen, step out of the traffic path and stop first.

Keep Your Distance

OSHA does not set a clearance distance in feet, so your site's rule applies. Many sites require about 4 feet between a person and a moving truck. Stay well outside any truck that is lifting or turning, because the driver is watching the load, not you.

Warning: Never stand or walk under raised forks, whether they are loaded or empty. OSHA prohibits it. A hydraulic failure or a shifting load can bring everything down with no warning.

• Never stand between a truck and a rack, wall or bench. You can be pinned with nowhere to go.
• Wait at the aisle end while a truck puts away or pulls down a pallet. Items can fall, including on the far side of the rack.
• Do not walk behind a truck that is backing, or that might back up.
• Never ride on the forks, on a pallet or on any part of a truck without a proper seat and authorization.

Who Goes First

Most sites tell drivers to treat people on foot as having the right of way, and a trained driver should stop and wait. Do not rely on that. A driver may not see you, and a loaded truck may not be able to stop in time. So use both rules at once: drivers yield to people, and people act as if the driver has not seen them.

If a truck comes toward you, stop and move to the side of the aisle, out from between the truck and any fixed object. Wait for it to pass, or for the driver to stop and wave you on.

Report every near miss, even if nobody was hurt. It shows the site where its layout or habits need to change.

Common Mistakes

Check Your Understanding

1. You are walking past the right rear corner of a forklift when the driver starts a left turn. Why is that a problem?

A forklift steers with its rear wheels, so in a left turn the back end swings out to the right, straight toward you. Keep clear of the rear corners during any turn.

2. A forklift is pulling a pallet down from a high beam in the aisle you need. The driver is looking up. What do you do?

Wait at the aisle end until the truck has finished and the driver has seen you. Do not walk past it, and do not use the next aisle right behind the same rack.

3. A coworker says people on foot always have the right of way, so there is no need to stop at aisle ends. What is wrong with that?

A driver who cannot see you cannot give way. Stopping protects you when the driver or the truck fails, and it takes two seconds.

Key Takeaways

• Forklifts steer from the rear, have big blind spots and can be nearly silent.
• Stay in marked walkways and cross at marked crossings.
• Stop at every aisle end, look both ways and listen.
• If you cannot see the driver's face, assume they cannot see you.
• Never go under raised forks or stand between a truck and a fixed object.