Fatal Facts: Hazards to Truck Drivers and Other Workers While Loading and Unloading Trucks and Trailers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  Loading and unloading materials, goods, and products from trucks are daily activities in many businesses. These activities are also a regular and frequent source of workplace injuries and fatalities. In Washington State from years 2005-2010: 12 workplace fatalities occurred during truck loading or unloading. Six of the 12 incidents involved machinery including forklifts and cranes. Five incidents involved truck drivers, 3 involved laborers, 2 involved supervisors, 1 involved a landscaper and 1 involved a crane operator. Some of the incidents that happened during truck loading and unloading in Washington State are described here: On January 15, 2010, a freight operations supervisor was assisting a forklift driver secure freight on a storage rack inside a trailer. The supervisor reached up and grabbed a piece of freight to steady himself when the 500 lb. pallet of freight shifted and fell on him. On June 25, 2007, a truck driver was unloading a delivery of a 2-ton manufactured piece of steel. He was standing beside the truck unfastening a securing strap when the piece of steel, which was improperly secured, fell off the truck and crushed him. On March 24, 2006, three workers were securing a load on the deck of a boom truck. The load came in contact with the levers of the boom crane, causing it to elevate and come into contact with an overhead high voltage power line. One worker was electrocuted. The other two received severe electrical shocks and were hospitalized. On December 6, 2005, a truck driver was picking up waste drums of cooking oil at a restaurant. He was using the truck's hydraulic lift gate to lift the drums when he was crushed between the truck's bed and the lift gate. How to Prevent Truck Loading and Unloading Incidents: 1. Restrict personnel on foot from the loading zone during operations. 2. Train loaders and drivers to identify hazards and apply safe work practices. 3. Secure loads on trucks, forklifts and cranes properly. 4. Establish procedures to assure workers are clear of trailers/wheels before moving. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Transportation Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Drivers Equipment-reliability Fatalities Injuries Injury-prevention Machine-operation Materials-transport Morbidity Rates Mortality-data Mortality Rates Motor-vehicles Safety-education Safety-practices Safety-programs Transport-mechanisms Traumatic-injuries Truck-drivers Trucking Work-environment Work-practices Workers

  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051290
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 47-20-2011, 2011 Jan; :1-4
• Contact Point Address:
  SHARP Program, Washington Department of Labor & Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Email:
  SHARP@Lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040901
• Source Full Name:
  Fatal facts: hazards to truck drivers and other workers while loading and unloading trucks and trailers
• End Date:
  20070831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cc97344e04ad8216b29eb81ebdfbe86d755433119200a8e4d73eba02530a8d41f5371a0fddcb2bd6f302dac5005d944135a5423c9da1efddde6162cf6d951a07
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228696/cdc_228696_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 171.55 KB ]