Blog - Tag: Measured Risk Insurance
Getting Buy-in from Managers on Workplace Safety Programs
One of the keys to instituting a good safety program is to get management and supervisor buy-in.
You need their support and belief in the system if you are to convince your employees to embrace your safety regimen. If your managers don’t believe in the safety plans you have put together, it will show through when they try to sell them to your staff.
If you don’t have buy-in from your managers, the chances are slim to none that your employees will embrace the changes you are proposing. Managers play a crucial role in getting employees on board with safety.
If you are serious about preventing injuries and want to keep your workers’ comp X-Mod low, the role of your management team is crucial.
You will often encounter a few different personality types among your managers and they need to be convinced of the importance of workplace safety in different ways.
- The excuse-makers: They are the ones that blame external factors that are out of their control for safety lapses, and they may pooh-pooh the harm that a high X-Mod has. They may talk the talk on safety, but they don’t walk the walk.
- Half-hearted bosses: These managers may actually buy into the safety program, but they are unable to show their commitment in ways that make an impression on the rank and file.
- Committed: These managers are fully committed and enthusiastically embrace your safety plans and discuss them with staff with exuberance.
You’ll need a different approach with each personality type to get them to embrace the concept. Once they do, they can effectively convey the urgency and importance of workplace safety to the rank and file.
Constructor Magazine recently had these recommendations for getting management buy-in:
Select the right leaders – Choose managers who are firm, yet fair with a passion for the safety of the workforce. They should have a track record of success so that they can be an inspiration to their teams. Also, they should not be afraid to get their hands dirty to make a point or demonstrate how something is done.
Talk about risk management holistically – Every facet of your operation needs to be addressed if you want a comprehensive global risk management culture to exist.
Executives can influence this by extending discussions of risk management beyond the worksite to help managers see the bigger picture of why safety matters.
Assessing the risk associated with every task, purchase order, estimate or piece of equipment used will reinforce the notion that risk management is a company-wide function and not only in the sphere that the manager is responsible for.
Make periodic site visits – Top leadership should make a point to get on the floor and visit various departments to watch the workflow and reinforce the importance of safety to the workers. They should make these visits with the manager who has been put in charge of safety for that department.
At the same time, they should not arrive and start nitpicking and being enforcers of safety policy. Instead, their role should be to start conversations with the workers about safety challenges and asking for advice and ideas to make the operation safer.
They can use these visits to also celebrate successes and challenge the team to do better and always look for issues that could lead to injuries.
Is Your Business Doing Enough to Prevent Workplace Violence?
Violence in the workplace is a growing problem for which many U.S. employers are unprepared.
Business owners may believe that their workforces are like families and that a violent outburst could never happen at work. They may also think that they have adequate security in place to stop an outsider from launching an attack or that their business would never be a target. These assumptions are probably mistaken.
Violence can take many forms and result in injuries or death, and employers are increasingly advised to put in place security and workplace violence prevention measures. Besides the human toll, a number of insurance policies may come into play after an incident.
In 2020, 20,050 workers in private U.S. businesses suffered non-fatal workplace violence trauma. Another 392 workers were killed. While three-quarters of the non-fatal victims worked in health care, more than 30% of those killed worked in retail. Employees at gas stations and convenience stores were particularly at risk.
Government is starting to address the problem. A California law taking effect July 1, 2024 will require employers to implement written workplace violence prevention plans. These must include annual workplace violence prevention training, incident logs and other recordkeeping.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration created guidance for health care employers about workplace violence prevention. It cited several hospital systems in 2023 for failure to provide safe workplaces.
Insurance
Companies that have suffered a workplace incident can turn to several insurance policies,
including:
- Workers’ compensation, for injuries suffered by employees or their deaths. One workers’ comp insurer has reported that the rate of workplace violence injuries has quadrupled over the past 25 years and the cost of those claims has doubled.
- Commercial general liability insurance, for injuries and property damage suffered by members of the public on the business’s premises at the time of the incident.
- Employment practices liability insurance, for employees who were not injured but were nevertheless traumatized from witnessing the incident.
- Commercial property insurance, which may cover damage done to the business’s building and personal property. For example, gunshots may damage walls, windows and equipment.
In addition, relatively new types of insurance such as workplace violence and active-assailant policies may cover expenses that traditional policies do not. These might include employee counseling, changes to undamaged parts of the building to make it more secure, and public relations efforts to repair a damaged reputation.
Prevention steps
While workplace violence that results in deaths often makes the news, the majority of incidents are smaller, such as an isolated attack by someone who has been fired. A business cannot absolutely prevent a workplace violence incident, but you can take steps to make it less likely. These include:
- Establishing and enforcing a “zero tolerance” policy for bullying, harassment of any kind, discrimination or intimidation.
- Modifying employer policies about sexual harassment to encompass all kinds of workplace violence.
- Making violence prevention a regular agenda item at employee meetings.
- Having procedures in place for reacting to any incidents that do occur, including assignment of responsibility for executing the procedures to specific individuals.
- Setting up a mechanism for employees to report any threats of violence towards them or co-workers.
There have always been violent incidents in workplaces, but they are becoming more common. Preventing them helps workplace morale and employee retention, protects your reputation —
and helps keep the workplace a pleasant and productive place for everyone.
Changes Coming to Electronics, Dual-Wage Class Codes
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California will recommend changes to class codes for some electronics manufacturing sectors, as well as increases to the wage thresholds for construction industry dual classifications.
The move comes after the Rating Bureau’s governing committee unanimously approved proposed changes, which will be sent in March to the state insurance commissioner for approval. If approved, the changes will take effect Sept. 1, 2024. Here’s what’s on tap:
Electronics manufacturing industry
One of the proposed changes would link two more classes to the 8874 companion classification, which was created in September 2022 to cover certain low-risk classes in the electronics industry group.
Currently, 8874 is a companion class that covers payroll for lower-risk jobs in hardware and software design and development, computer-aided design, clerical and outside sales operations for two electronics industry classes — 3681 (manufacturing operations for electronic instruments, computer peripherals, telecommunications equipment) and 4112 (integrated circuit and semiconductor wafer manufacturing).
The new proposal would move to 8874 similar low-risk white-collar personnel currently assigned to class 3572 (medical instrument manufacturing) and 3682 (non-electric instrument manufacturing).
The Rating Bureau is also recommending merging class code 3070 (computer memory disk manufacturing) with 3681(2) (computer or computer peripheral equipment manufacturing).
If this recommendation is okayed, the higher pure premium rate of $0.46 per $100 of payroll for class code 3681 will apply to the new combined code. Class 3070 currently has a pure premium rate of $0.25 per $100 of payroll and the new rate would be phased in at 25% per year until class 3070 is eliminated and all employers are moved to class 3681.
Dual-wage increases
The Rating Bureau will also recommend increasing the thresholds that separate high- and low-wage earners in 16 dual-wage construction classes.
These class codes have vastly different pure premium rates for workers above and below a certain threshold as the lower-wage workers have historically filed more workers’ comp claims. Rates for lower-wage workers are often double the rates for higher-wage workers.
The following illustrates the changes:
| Classification | Current threshold | Recommended threshold for 9/1 |
| 5207/5028 Masonry | $32 | $35 |
| 5190/5140 Electrical Wiring | $34 | $36 |
| 5183/5187 Plumbing | $31 | $32 |
| 5185/5186 Automatic Sprinkler Installation | $32 | $33 |
| 5201/5205 Concrete or Cement Work | $32 | $33 |
| 5403/5432 Carpentry | $39 | $41 |
| 5446/5447 Wallboard Installation | $38 | $41 |
| 5467/5470 Glaziers | $36 | $39 |
| 5474/5482 Painting/ Waterproofing | $31 | $32 |
| 5484/5485 Plastering or Stucco Work | $36 | $38 |
| 5538/5542 Sheet Metal Work | $29 | $33 |
| 5552/5553 Roofing | $29 | $31 |
| 5632/5633 Steel Framing | $39 | $41 |
| 6218/6220 Excavation/ Grading/Land Leveling | $38 | $40 |
| 6307/6308 Sewer Construction | $38 | $40 |
| 6315/6316 Water/Gas Mains | $38 | $40 |
Deal with Unbonded Subcontractors at Your Own Risk
You should never hire an unbonded subcontractor on a construction project, unless you want to put your organization at significant financial risk.
If the contractor you hired fails to perform their work as specified in the contract, without a performance bond you have no means of recovery from the company. Also, if the subcontractor fails to pay its subcontractors or suppliers, without a payment bond, you could be left holding the bag for the errant unbonded subcontractor.
Despite these risks, many contractors don’t require subcontractors to be bonded because they think bonding raises the cost of a project.
But any costs related to bonding are negligible compared to the problems you may encounter if you deal with unbonded subs.
The two most commonly used contract bonds for general contractors are payment and performance bonds.
- Performance bonds are meant to ensure that a contractor will perform and fulfill its contractual obligations in relation to the project owner or obligee.
- Payment bonds guarantee that the general contractor will pay subcontractors and materials suppliers whatever is owed them. This bond is also meant to protect the client from claims arising against them due to contractor negligence. Payment bonds also cover all first-tier subcontractors and materials suppliers, as well as second-tier subcontractors and materials suppliers to first-tier subcontractors on public construction projects.
In other words, all parties are well covered when a contractor has obtained payment and performance bonds.
General contractors are at risk if a subcontractor defaults on its obligations, or fails to pay its lower-tier subcontractors and suppliers. Even if you have a long-standing relationship with a subcontractor, you are still putting your organization at risk if you do business with them and they are unbonded.
Other benefits
Higher standards — The chances of a subcontractor failing to finish its work, or failing to pay its own subs and supplier, are greatly reduced if they are carrying a bond.
That’s because a surety company must prequalify a company before they can secure a bond. To qualify, they have to go through a stringent process, including an examination and assessment of a company’s financial health and its ability to perform on projects.
The latter process is done by looking at prior projects the company has worked on and its experience in the industry.
The surety firm also assesses the subcontractor’s documentation and how the business operates.
In other words, the prequalification process weeds out subcontractors that are either not fit for a project, or may not have the intention to perform well on it. Sureties have no interest in underwriting bonds to unstable businesses, so they make sure to pick the most reliable subcontractors.
Reliability — Bonded companies are also more likely to work responsibly on your project due to their obligations to the principles of the project under the bond contract’s indemnification agreement.
A subcontractor bond will typically require that the business entity and its owners provide indemnity in the form of personal assets. Thus, subcontractors that are willing to put their personal assets at risk are more likely to see the job through and do it properly.
Good relationships — Most companies that are bonded and have been bonded on other projects will typically have a good relationship with their surety company.
Such partnerships are priceless in the inherently risky construction sector. Companies that operate prudently and which foster and maintain good relationships with their surety companies, suppliers and other contractors are preferred business partners for all involved.
Managing Your Internal Supply Chain Risk: Equipment Failure
Many companies have contingency plans to account for external supply chain risks, like a supplier suffering a fire that prevents it from keeping production running and getting you product that you need.
However, you also have internal supply chain risks, which you are better able to control. These risks can affect a variety of businesses from manufacturers to retailers and restaurants — and any business that has some type of revolving stock.
It could be vital to the survival of your business that you are aware of and prepare for internal risks such as machinery and equipment breakdowns.
Knowing the right steps to take ahead of time can save you from making a bad situation worse or significantly delaying the resumption of operations. All of that, of course, amounts to extra costs for your business, including the potential for lost revenues.
If you prepare for a failure of a key piece of equipment or machinery, you also won’t be scrambling trying to figure out your next step in times of internal disruption or crisis. Making decisions at such times can often lead to more problems and costs.
Your risk management plan to deal with such failures should include:
1. A list of key equipment
- Production machinery, including gear sets, motors, compressors, belts and fans.
- Boilers and pressure vessels.
- IT and communications systems, including wiring and cables.
- Electrical equipment or system, including transformers, switch boxes, cables, wiring and motors.
2. An inventory of spare parts
Optimally, you should keep all the key spare and replacement parts for your main systems on-site. You can ask the manufacturers or service companies of those systems to assist you in having an emergency inventory on hand.
Still, it may not be feasible to have all items on-site. In that case, you should compile a list of the other parts that could break and need replacement, and how to quickly order them from the correct supplier. You should include on this list the cost of those items and delivery times — and update the list at least every year.
3. Plan for renting replacement equipment
As part of your planning, you should obtain quotes from companies that rent out the same type of equipment or machinery that you use, and update the quotes every year.
The quotes should include all pricing like transportation and set-up fees, as well as estimated time from ordering to delivery and start-up.
Don’t forget to include alternative suppliers.
4. Repair firms
You should also have at the ready information on the various contractors that are able to repair any equipment that’s broken down. The information should be listed by equipment item and should include contractor capabilities, contact information and availability.
Again, you should update this information every year.
5. Inventory
The dilemma for many businesses is how much inventory to carry. You don’t want to get caught short when it’s time for deliveries, and you don’t want too much of your money tied up unnecessarily in inventory that will go unused for some time.
That said, a certain reserve of inventory to help you continue to supply your customers is a smart move if you want to minimize the disruption of an equipment failure.
You need to analyze your order and delivery schedules and identify an optimum amount of spare inventory to keep on hand to fulfill orders in case of an equipment failure.
Make sure to keep in mind perishability of inventory, if applicable.
Keeping Your Workers Safe around Electricity
While all businesses need electricity to get the job done, it can also pose a significant safety issue if your workers are careless.
To reduce the chances of a workplace injury or death, it’s imperative that you train your workers in electrical safety. While we’ve all gotten an electrical shock at some point, it should not be taken lightly as even a small amount of electrical current can be fatal if one of your employees is in its path.
Here are some of the main topics you should focus training on:
Metal and water
The danger of electrocution is greatest around metal objects and in damp conditions.
- Train your workers to make sure that all electric equipment, switch enclosures and conduit systems are properly grounded and that all external or damp operations are wired for wet conditions prior to operations.
- They should wear the correct gear, such as rubber gloves and boots, while working in damp environments.
- You should provide rubber mats, insulated tools and rubber sheets to protect them from exposed metal.
Defective equipment
Defective equipment can result in shock or electrocution.
- Workers and supervisors should inspect electrical equipment, outlets, plugs and cords before each use.
- If a worker finds faulty or damaged equipment, they should point it out to a supervisor who should remove, tag and have the item repaired.
Cord management
- Make sure outlets and cords are of adequate size and length to prevent an electrical overload.
- Keep cords out of the way to avoid tripping hazards, as well as damage from being stepped on.
- If cords must cross a traffic area, protect them with planks or other means.
Lockout/blockout
- Follow lockout/blockout procedures. Treat every electric wire as if it were a live one.
- Workers should stop using a tool and appliance if they feel even the slightest shock or tingling.
- They should turn off the power if they smell a hot or burning substance, or if they notice smoke, sparks or flickering lights.
Watch for power supply lines
Contact with overhead power supply lines is one of the most common causes of electrocution. This usually happens when workers are using portable elevators, cranes, pipes or hoisting machinery that puts them in close proximity to power lines.
- Workers using high-clearance devices should continually scan and monitor for danger and take sensible precautions to avoid contact with overhead lines.
- If an overhead line breaks, they should keep away from the wire and everything it touches, and then call the power company to shut off the electricity.
- Only qualified electricians should repair electrical equipment or work on energized lines.
One last thing…
Besides training your workers in all facets of electrical safety, don’t forget to train them in emergency response procedures and CPR, too.
New OSHA Electronic Reporting Rule Takes Effect
A new rule by the Department of Labor requires firms with 100 or more employees in certain industries to electronically submit their OSHA Form 300 and 301 logs, starting in 2024. These are in addition to submission of Form 300A-Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.
The new rule applies to businesses in 104 high-hazard industries that include the agricultural, food production, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, transportation and medical sectors.
All employers that are subject to OSHA regulations are required to annually submit to OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report), and their Form 300A.
Additionally, employers are required to post their Form 300A in a conspicuous area in the workplace from Feb. 1 through April 30 every year.
The new rule leaves in place existing regulations requiring:
- Businesses with 20 to 249 workers in certain high-hazard industries to electronically submit information from their Forms 300A once per year.
- All employers with 250 or more workers to electronically submit information from their Forms 300A once per year.
The final day to submit the above electronic files is March 2, 2024.
You can find a full list of the affected 104 industries here.
The following are some of the industries that are affected by the new rule:
- NAICS 3118: Bakeries
- NAICS 3119: Other Food Manufacturing
- NAICS 3121: Beverage Manufacturing
- NAICS 3261: Plastics Product Manufacturing
- NAICS 3262: Rubber Product Manufacturing
- NAICS 3272: Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing
- NAICS 3273: Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing
- NAICS 3361: Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
- NAICS 4244: Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers
- NAICS 4248: Beer, Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers
- NAICS 4413: Automotive Parts, Accessories and Tire Stores
- NAICS 4422: Home Furnishings Stores
- NAICS 4441: Building Material and Supplies Dealers
- NAICS 4442: Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores
- NAICS 4451: Grocery Stores
- NAICS 4522: Department Stores
- NAICS 4931: Warehousing and Storage
- NAICS 5621: Waste Collection
- NAICS 5622: Waste Treatment and Disposal
- NAICS 6219: Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
- NAICS 6221: General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
- NAICS 6222: Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals
- NAICS 6223: Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals
- NAICS 6231: Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
- NAICS 6232: Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities
OSHA’s reasoning
OSHA has said that it plans to use the information from the files to identify high-hazard employers and injury trends. It also said that it plans to publish some of the data it collects on its website, which has employers concerned that it may be used by attorneys to target them for lawsuits.
The federal agency says it’s for the sake of transparency and to provide information to employees, potential employees, customers and the general public about a company’s workplace safety history.
Documenting Small Safety Incidents Key to Preventing Major Ones
Studies show that for every major workplace injury or fatality, there are nearly 10 minor injuries — and more than 30 accidents that lead to property damage.
While minor injuries may not seem consequential, they can be indicators of structural problems in an employer’s safety standards. Capturing data even on minor incidents that may seem trivial can be critical in informing efforts to prevent much greater dangers in the future.
This documentation isn’t done in a vacuum and it’s important that managers and supervisors at all levels are trained to be focused on the numbers game of workplace safety. Here is where management’s main efforts should be concentrated:
Don’t ignore minor incidents. Document all of them. Even if you have avoided injuries and severe property damage so far, keeping careful records may provide critical risk management insights — and enable managers to take action to prevent accidents before they occur.
Identify patterns. Do minor incidents seem to happen in the same area? Involve the same or similar machinery? Are they in the same department or under the same manager? Careful record-keeping is a valuable tool for identifying patterns.
Discourage presenteeism. Workers who come to work sick may be taking medications that increase the risk of incidents. Sick or distracted workers may make serious or deadly mistakes. To prevent this, have a sustainable sick leave policy and encourage workers to take time off when needed.
Encourage reporting. Studies have shown that employers either improperly report or fail to report the majority of minor incidents.
One study found that 85% of workers had experienced work-related symptoms, 50% had experienced persistent work-related medical symptoms and 30% had lost time from an incident or from a repetitive motion injury — yet only some 91% of those workers told researchers they had formally reported any of these incidents.
When asked why they didn’t report safety incidents, workers cited a number of reasons:
- Fear of reprisal.
- Poor management response to prior reports.
- Fear of losing their job or being transferred to a less desirable position.
- Belief that pain or another medical symptom was a normal consequence of work activity or ageing.
Maintain OSHA-required injury logs. By federal law, most employers must maintain the following safety documents:
- OSHA Form 300 — Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
- OSHA Form 300A —Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
- OSHA Form 301 — Injury and Illness Incident Report
Employers with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the preceding calendar year are exempt from the federal requirement, though many states may impose more stringent requirements.
Record near misses. Often, near misses — in which property damage, injury or fatality were narrowly avoided — can provide data that’s just as valuable as for incidents resulting in actual damages or injuries. This information can prove vital to informing prevention efforts.
Perhaps most importantly, carefully documenting all safety incidents and near misses, however minor, may help establish a culture of safety throughout the organization.
The takeaway
Companies that maintain robust documentation of all incidents, including minor ones — and even near misses — can use that information to identify patterns and take corrective action.
By taking steps to address the hazards your data gathering uncovers you can reduce the likelihood of workplace incidents.
8 Tips for Improving Electrical Safety on Construction Sites
The construction industry has the highest percentage of electrical fatalities out of all industries.
While electricity is a crucial component in a construction project’s success, it poses a risk of harmful shock, horrific burns or fatal electrocution. These accidents can occur when workers come into contact with power lines, wiring, transformers or other electrical machinery.
Fortunately, there are steps that companies can take to minimize the dangers. The following are eight tips on how to improve electrical safety in the construction industry:
- Provide personal protection — Electrical safety in the industry starts at a personal level. All the electrical work personnel or people working in an area with electrical materials should wear protective gear, such as insulated gloves and footwear. This provides basic safety when they get into contact with electrical equipment, whether accidentally or intentionally.
- Training in handling electrical equipment — Electrical mishaps can occur when there is misuse or mishandling of electrical equipment. Workers should be trained on how they should handle and operate the equipment safely. Conduct regular training to ensure the workers don’t become lax when they use the same equipment.
- Use proper testing equipment — Proper testing equipment should be part of the essential tools required on a construction site. Voltage detectors, receptacle testers and clamp meters are among the tools every worksite should have to enhance electrical safety and help prevent electrical accidents.
- The right signage — Lack of awareness can lead to catastrophic electrical accidents. All electrical hazards should be marked to warn your workers of the dangers. The signs should have labels in language and illustrations that can be easily understood by a layman. This way, all the personnel working on the site can take precautions and avoid electrical accidents.
- Proper risk assessment and planning — Conduct a risk assessment survey of the worksite before operations begin. This will help identify hazards that can compromise electrical safety and allow you to come up with solutions accordingly.
The assessment will also help your team develop a plan on how to lay out electrical infrastructure with safety in mind. A plan will indicate where and how electrical equipment will be placed and how the wiring will be done. - Use circuit breakers and voltage regulators — Even with all the planning and precautions, emergencies can occur in case of a power surge, short-circuit or any other electrical issue. That’s why it’s essential to have circuit breakers and voltage regulators to cut off power during such situations.
The ability to regulate or shut down power supply on time during a crisis can avert catastrophic damage and loss of life on a site. - Avoid wet conditions — Electrical equipment and infrastructures in the worksite should be shielded from coming into contact with water at all costs. This should be done during the planning process. When the equipment comes into contact with water, the power supply should be cut off immediately and later turned back on a professional electrician’s recommendation.
- Organize and insulate all exposed cables — A construction area should never have messy or uncovered power cables. When unorganized, the cables can contact each other, resulting in short-circuiting and possibly fire. If left uncovered, workers may accidentally touch them, leading to shock or electrocution.
Cover all cables in a construction site with appropriate insulating material and organize the cables to enhance electrical safety.
The takeaway
While overall safety is a significant concern in the construction industry, electrical safety can be contained if the right measures are implemented.
The above tips can help construction firms to boost electrical safety in their operations. However, all the parties on a construction site must be diligent for maximum electrical safety.
As Dump Trucks Grow Longer, Tip-overs Increase
Dump truck and semi-trailer dumping rig tip-overs are occurring at an increasing frequency, often resulting in drivers and sometimes workers on the ground being injured or killed.
The reason for the increase is that end-dump-truck bodies and semi-trailer dumping rigs are being built longer than ever before.
For the most part, tip-overs are more often associated with semi-trailer rigs than with straight dump trucks, but both are susceptible to tipping over.
If you have these vehicles in your fleet, you should be concerned about the main factors that can result in tip-overs:
- Truck stability
- Poor hazard controls
- Poor maintenance
- Improper loading
- Improper dumping
Stability
The time when the dump truck is at its most unstable is when the box is in the raised position. When the center of gravity of the box and load is not roughly between the frame rails of the unit, there is a risk of tip-over (see diagram).
One or more of the following factors can adversely affect stability:
- The truck is on an unlevel surface when dumping.
- There is too much material in the upper portion of the raised box.
- Material gets stuck in the top portion of the box, or on one side of the top portion.
- The rear wheels settle unevenly as the load slides out of the box.
- Heavy winds can tip trucks with raised boxes over, especially if the box is of the longer variety.
Hazard control
You should also avoid using semi-trailer dump trucks on rough grading, or on uneven or loosely compacted surfaces.
If you are hauling material on these types of surfaces, you should opt for a straight dump truck instead, which has less chance of slippage since it is not pulling a trailer.
If the truck is hauling aggregates that will be spread for road construction, belly-dump semi-trailers are a better and safer choice than end-dump semi-trailers.
We understand that you may not always have a choice of dump vehicles, but you should try to use trucks that are appropriate for the conditions.
One other consideration: In cold weather environments, you should consider heated boxes. Otherwise, there is a chance the materials may freeze in the box and stick during dumping.
Maintenance
Preventive maintenance can also reduce the chances of tip-overs.
- Check tire pressures before the start of each work day. The pressure should be the same on both sides of the vehicle, and according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Uneven pressure can cause instability.
- Examine and lubricate pins and bushings regularly.
- Inspect suspension systems under the box to ensure that they work properly and provide even suspension. If the suspension system is worn or weak, replace it immediately.
- Inspect hoist cylinders regularly. If worn, replace them with cylinders of the same specification (no smaller cylinders and none that are rated at lower operating pressure).
- Make sure that repairs to boxes leave the bottom and sides clear and unrestricted. Rough patchwork repairs near the top of the box can catch and hold sticky materials.
Loading
Boxes should be loaded front to back, and the load must be less than allowable gross weight and axle weight limitations set by the U.S. Department of Transportation or your state’s DOT.
Don’t pile too much material at the top end of the box, as it can impede the flow. Consider spreading it out more or reducing the load.
You may also want to install box liners, which can help materials flow better during dumping.
Dumping
Follow safe operating procedures when dumping materials.
- Operators should be trained to recognize unsafe dumping areas like soft surfaces or surfaces that are not properly compacted. Before dumping, the truck should be on a reasonably level surface.
- Before dumping, operators should ensure that the tailgate is unlocked.
- Before spreading material by dumping it from a moving truck, make sure that the entire length of travel is reasonably level.
- Trucks should not dump when they are parked side by side with another vehicle, as this can risk injury to the operator of the adjacent vehicle.
- Dumping operations should not be too close together, which increases the risk of injury.
- Other personnel must be warned prior to the dumping operation to stay clear.
- Workers should not congregate in areas where dumping is under way.