True Stories: If You Beat a Tarp at Arm Wrestling, Who Really Wins?

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 43-year-old Washington truck driver found out the hard way that using a weak and worn tarp was a big mistake. A strong tug on the bungee was enough to rip out the D-ring and send him falling from the load. Thankfully, he survived the fall, but he's been off work for over two months with a back injury. That's two months at only about 60 percent of his usual pay for his family to live on, not to mention the probable increase in workers' compensation costs to his company for having a time-loss claim. Tarp maintenance would have been a less expensive and less painful solution. Tips to live by - DRIVERS: Check tarps monthly for wear. Even small holes can quickly become a hazard. Report worn tarps to your supervisor. Use softeners on sharp corners to prevent tears. EMPLOYERS: Train workers to inspect tarps monthly. Keep tarping area well lit to allow tarps to be thoroughly inspected. Have a system for reporting wear and removing tarps from service until they are patched or replaced. Include in the contract that forklifts lift tarps onto the load. Request plastic wrapped loads to minimize the need for tarps. Provide plenty of good quality bungees. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Equipment Maintenance Injuries Injury Prevention Safety Practices Truck Drivers Trucking
• 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
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058836
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 90-111-2013, 2013 Feb; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  True stories: if you beat a tarp at arm wrestling, who really wins?
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7c3ef1a292a8e165ab47b61b4e640a91a22bd582b2bcaa667882c6aa4d638e376a5c4f35b12873a9fdc1d14f49a70b22592ac9167dd888cc5a98ed5ec413fb68
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228934/cdc_228934_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 186.98 KB ]