|
 |
U. S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine
Office of Science and Technology Assessment |
Crushing Hazards Associated with Dumpsters and Rear-loading Trash Trucks
|
|
Safety and Health Information Bulletins |
|
|
SHIB 12-09-03 |
|
This Safety and Health Information Bulletin is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The Bulletin is advisory in nature,
informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires
employers to comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards as issued and enforced by either the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
or an OSHA-approved State Plan. In addition, employers must provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or
serious physical harm under Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause of the Act. Employers can be cited for violating the General Duty Clause if there is a
recognized hazard and they do not take steps to prevent or abate the hazard. However, failure to implement any guidelines in this bulletin is not, in itself,
a violation of the General Duty Clause. Citations can only be based on standards, regulations, and the General Duty Clause.
|
Purpose
The purpose of this
Safety and Health
Information Bulletin is to
inform employers and
employees, who use
rear-loading trash trucks
to empty dumpsters, of
the hazards associated
with not properly securing the dumpster’s
trunnion bars and failing to take other safety
precautions during the emptying process.
Background
Refuse collection workers face a variety of
occupational hazards. In fact, refuse collection
was identified as one of the most dangerous jobs
in the United States during the 1992-1997 period.
Refuse collecting and recycling accounted for
over 1% of all occupational fatalities nationally
between 1992 and 1997. While occupational
workers “struck by” vehicles account for a major
portion of these fatalities, other workers are killed
by contact with objects and equipment according
to Bureau of Labor Statistics 2001 data. Between
1999 and 2003, OSHA investigated at
least six fatalities involving workers who were
crushed when the dumpster became dislodged.
Description of Hazard
In January of 2003 the Concord Area office
investigated a fatality that demonstrates the
potential hazards of being struck by and/or
crushed by a dumpster while the dumpster is
being emptied into the back of a rear-loading
trash truck. The hazard can materialize in several
ways. First, the dumpster can be dislodged during
the emptying cycle if the locking bars are not engaged,
allowing the dumpster to swing around to the
side of the truck. Second, the dumpster can fall if
the wire rope fails or if the hook becomes dislodged
from the dumpster’s lifting eye.
OSHA’s investigation revealed that an employee
of a waste handling company was fatally
injured when operating a rear-loading trash truck.
The employee was emptying a dumpster into the
back of a rear-loading trash truck (see Figure 1).
 |
Figure 1 - Rear-loading
Trash Truck
|
The process involved backing up to the dumpster
such that the trunnion bar of the dumpster contacted
the rear of the truck. A wire rope cable was attached
to the lifting eye on the dumpster. Then, the
dumpster was winched up to a point where the trash
began to fall from the dumpster into the truck.
While the dumpster was in the elevated position,
the employee apparently operated the packer
slide and sweep of the truck. When this was
done, the load apparently shifted, pushing the
bottom of the dumpster away from the truck.
When this occurred, the dumpster rotated toward
the passenger
side of the
vehicle, where
the employee
was standing
and operating
the controls.
The employee
was killed when
he was caught
between the
dumpster and the side of the truck. In this case,
the locking bars (also called “latch-up mechanisms”)
had not been utilized to secure the
dumpster’s trunnion bar.
Recommendations
Employers and employees should be aware
of the potential hazards posed by rear-loading
trash trucks, including those related to the dumping
cycle.
Recommended preventative measures
include:
- Inspect that all devices used to tip up and
empty dumpsters into rear-loading trucks,
including the trunnion bar locking
mechanism, wire rope and hooks with
safety latches, to assure that the devices
are present, appropriately connected, and
in full-working order.
- Develop a training program and
procedures regarding the use of securing
devices when emptying dumpsters into
rear-loading trash trucks. Train all
employees to cycle the compactor only
when the dumpster is on the ground.
- Review and follow recommendations found
in “ANSI Standard Z245.1-1999
American National Standard for Equipment
Technology and Operations for Wastes and
Recyclable Materials-Mobile Wastes and
Recyclable Materials Collection,
Transportation, and Compaction Equipment
Safety Requirements.”
Among the relevant ANSI provisions:
- Ensure that no person
removes or disables
any safety device
- Monitor the employee’s
activities and take
appropriate action to ensure adherence to
safe practices.
- Implement a program for
the maintenance of
the equipment which will incorporate the
following elements:
- Requirements for trained, competent maintenance employees or contractors to
perform inspection and repair work.
- Providing for the cleaning, inspection, and repair of equipment in
accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and in compliance with
this ANSI standard, including regular periodic inspections.
-
Ensuring that all required safety
features are operational and functioning and
repairing, prior to placing equipment into
service, any reported malfunction or defect
that affects the safe operation of the
equipment.
 |
Figure 2 - Rotated Dumpster
|
References
1. Drudi, D.; Job hazards in the waste
industries. Compensation
and
Working Conditions.
Summer 1999,
19-23.
2. ANSI standard Z245.1-1999;
American National Standard for
Equipment Technology and Operations
for Wastes and Recyclable Materials-
Mobile Wastes and Recyclable
Materials Collection, Transportation,
and Compaction Equipment Safety
Requirements.
3. Dorevitch S., Marder D.; Occupational
hazards of municipal solid waste
workers. Occupational Medicine
2001, 16(1): 125-133.
 |
|
Figure 3 - Latchup mechanism and trunnion bar
|
|
Printing Instructions
Back to Top 
www.osha.gov
