Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses radio to read an identifier stored on a tag, either a passive tag powered by the reader's field or an active tag with its own battery.
In forklift operations RFID does two different jobs. The first is identity: an operator badge or card that the truck reads before it will start, so only trained and authorized drivers can operate it, which is the basis of many operator access control. The second is presence detection: active RFID tags worn by pedestrians, or tags fixed at doors and zone boundaries, that tell a truck-mounted reader something is nearby.
RFID reads presence within a field, not an exact distance, so it is coarser than ultra-wideband for collision warnings and its read range shifts with tag orientation, bodies and metal. It works well for go or no-go decisions such as enabling a truck to start or noting that a forklift passed a door. OSHA requires that only trained and evaluated operators drive forklifts, and an RFID badge system is one way to enforce that, not a substitute for the training itself.