Tractor Trailer Tip-Overs |
|
Construction
Safety Association of Ontario
From the website of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, www.csao.org |
Hazard Summary
Tractor trailers
have tipped over while dumping loads of crushed quarry stone, fly ash,
foundry sand, steel lathe turnings and other materials. There have been
many such incidents, most involving long-box units.
Recently a truck
driver was killed when he tried to enter the cab of his truck after the
truck started to tip. The tip-over happened because steel turnings in
the top of the box stuck together while it was being raised.
Conditions contributing
to these tip-overs included:
- uneven tire pressures,
- poor suspension
systems,
- worn-out lifting
components (including hinge pins),
- defective lift
cylinder components,
- uneven or unstable
dump areas,
- reduced flow
properties of materials, caused by freezing, moisture, compacting, etc.,
- poor distribution
of loads (they were top-heavy or had too much on one side),
- strong winds,
and
- operator error.
Locations
and Sectors
Mining, construction
and industrial.
Recommendations
- When loading
the truck, distribute the load as evenly as possible (both side
to side and end to end), and never put too much material at the upper
end of the box.
- In dumping materials,
use a suitable combination of the following precautions:
- use bottom
dump units or other, more stable, combinations of truck and dump
unit;
- use a remote
control for tipping the dump box so that the safety of the operator
is not endangered, as required by the Regulations for Industrial
Establishments (R.R.O. 851/90, section 45);
- dump at fixed
locations where mechanical means are in place to prevent tip-overs
(see R.R.O. 851/90, section 46);
- assign a trained
observer to help the operator in situations where dumping will be
carried out at many places on the same site (the observer would
help the operator examine the truck and would direct the operation);
- use liners
in the dump box to keep material from sticking; and
- use the truck's
exhaust to heat the box and keep material from freezing.
- Make sure that
everyone in the dumping area is aware that a tip-over is possible.
- There should
be a daily inspection of the unit. This should include an examination
of the tire pressures, the condition of the suspension components and
the condition of dump box components, including the hinge pins and the
lift cylinder.
- Truck drivers
and others should be trained in:
- how to examine
the unit,
- safe methods
of loading and dumping, and
- safe procedures
for avoiding injury, specifying where to be while dumping is in
progress and what to do if the truck starts to tip.
Please
photocopy Ministry of Labour Alerts, distribute them widely and post them
where people will see them.
Produced
by the Mining Health and Safety Program, Ministry of Labour
Alert
15/1295 ISSN 1195-5228
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Copyright information: ©
Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1999
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