An Operators Guide To Preventing Flatbed Truck Fall Accidents
Did you know falls from height, including falls from flatbed trucks, are one of the major causes of serious injuries and fatalities at a workplace? In fact, every year in the US, dozens of drivers and warehouse workers are seriously injured from falls from flatbed trailers. In this post, I'll guide you on the most effective way to prevent flatbed truck falls and ensure the safety of your employees.
Other than truck collisions, falls are the most expensive type of truck driver accidents. Besides, OSHA and state safety agencies are now more than ever committed to enforcing fall protection rules by agencies and inspectors for flatbed trailers.
These sobering facts are a stark reminder that you should ensure your employees are well-protected from falling from flatbed trailer trucks by the use of an appropriate fall protection system.
OSHA Regulations Pertaining To Flatbed Truck Falls
Truck drivers and warehouse managers are often required to perform various operations at a height, which exposes them to many fall hazards.
Operations such as tying down or tarping loads and loading and unloading cargo expose your employees to various hazards like walking over uneven surfaces, open hatches, and working at heights, increasing the risk of them falling and getting injured seriously.
However, according to the newly revised OSHA regulations 1910.28 and 1910.29, you are required to protect your workers from fall exposures along unprotected surfaces and sides at least 4 feet above the ground--the height of all flatbed trailers.
The Cost Of Flatbed Truck Falls
Without appropriate fall protection, your workers are more likely to fall when performing various trailer operations, leading to serious injuries or even deaths.
Fall-related injuries can cost you, as the employer, thousands, if not millions of dollars in workers' compensation claims, third-party lawsuits, and OSHA fines and penalties. Besides making your company bankrupt, it can also damage your reputation and easily cripple your business.
Also, fall-related injuries may force the injured employee to spend weeks or even months from work as they recover. This will require you to find a replacement to fill the vacant position, which is not only time-consuming but also requires lots of resources.
Furthermore, work-related injuries can have a devastating impact on the satisfaction and productivity of your other employees, reducing their productivity levels and the motivation to work.
Fortunately, you can save your company from the legal implications and costs associated with dangerous falls from flatbed trailer decks. You can do this by providing the required fall protection equipment.
A Cost-Effective Solution To Flatbed Trailer Decks Falls
While there are dozens of fall protection systems out there that you can use, only a handful of them can prevent falls without interfering with truck or warehouse operations.
One of them being the NoFalls Protection system, which is an OSHA-compliant, lightweight, cost-effective system that can save your workers and yourself from injuries and deaths caused by falls from flatbed trucks.
Our flatbed tuck fall prevention system boasts a simple design that makes installing it and putting it down quick and easy, saving your workers plenty of time to perform other tasks. You can install it permanently or store it right on the truck when not in use.
Another highlight feature of the NoFalls Protection system is its compatibility with nearly all flatbed trailers irrespective of the flatbed truck pocket size and condition.
At 125 pounds per side, this system is lightweight yet strong enough to prevent your workers from falling off trucks while also stabilizing them while on the flatbed surface by serving as a handrail. This helps prevent your workers from slipping and falling while walking on the trailer surface.
By preventing falls from flatbed trailer decks, this unit helps reduce work-related injuries and in turn, reduce your exposure to workers' compensation cost and liability insurance.
What's more, this unit offers optimal safety for your workers at a fraction of the cost of its competitors' products. This helps save you from incurring millions of dollars in damage claims and tens of thousands of OSHA fines.
How Does The NoFalls Protection System Work?
To begin with, this unit features a plug-and-play setup, meaning it will only take you a few minutes to install it or to take it down. All you need to do is to install the uprights and adjust the tension of the straps using ratchets and you're good to go. Each side is 48 feet long and includes a total of six secure straps and five, rugged aluminum posts, with each post standing 52 inches tall, to a 51-inch strap height.
With this unit, you get unparalleled convenience and flexibility on where you'd like to use it, whether you want to install it on one side, both sides, and/or the end of your flatbed trailer. Not to mention, you can de-tension the sides and sections of the system individually for side loading with a high-low or a fork-lift and the system is fully crane-loading compatible.
You may also like that this unit offers unmatched strength and resilience, with its six securement straps boasting a workload limit of 1,467 lb. and break strength of up to 4,400 lbs. Despite its heavy-duty construction, this unit is remarkably lightweight with both sides weighing less than 90 pounds.
Be Proactive
To conclude, it is your responsibility as an employer to ensure the safety of your workers at the workplace and keep your company OSHA-compliant and in good standing with the authorities.
As such, you should take a proactive approach to flatbed truck safety by providing a fall protection system instead of waiting until an injury has happened. This will not only keep your workers from fall-related injuries at the workplace but will significantly lower workers' compensation claims, avoid potential OSHA violations, and increase the productivity of your workers.
Looking for the best fall-protection system for your unique needs?
Contact us at (313) 429-2121, or email us at sales@truckfallprevention.com to learn more about the pricing and availability of the NoFalls System. Or check out our website today to find out how you can make the No Falls System a part of your company's fall-prevention plan.