There is NO oversimplification, lift truck operators MUST yield to pedestrians.
All the points you raise are very valuable, but secondary points to the question. They have no relevance to the very, very first rule in operating a lift truck.
If a lift truck operator hits a pedestrian there is a potential of being charged with, "failure to yield right-of-way to a pedestrian".
I'm sure inventoryops, myself and most others on this list could write a book on lift truck safety.
Why don't you start a new thread and ask for an itemized list for lift truck safety and I guarantee, it will be added to for many years and then, we can try to arrange all the points in a priority order, but..... I will end this thread again and again = LIFT TRUCKS MUST YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS.