IN THE FIELD
By Macie Murie
Safe Loading and Unloading of Trailers A reminder about fall prevention and other hazards
There is need for greater awareness of fall prevention from lower heights, such as trailers. Shown here is the XSERIES Mobile Grabber from Malta Dynamics, which is one solution for providing an overhead anchor point for fall protection when working from trailers.
Note: Information for this article was excerpted with permission from the British Constructional Steelwork Association’s 2007 report, BCSA Guide to Work at Height during the Loading and Unloading of Steelwork. Contact steelconstruction.org to request the full document. any steel erectors are very aware of fall prevention requirements for ironworkers, however there is need for greater awareness of fall prevention from lower heights, such as trailers. While working from height should be avoided whenever possible, it can be difficult to achieve during the process of loading and unloading steel. Falling from vehicles is a significant cause of workplace transport injuries. Bryan McClure of Trivent Safety Consulting, and the Chairman of the SEAA Safety & Education Committee says: “Be mindful of trigger heights for fall protection requirements when loading and unloading trailers. General Industry is 4 feet, Construction
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Macie Murie is the Associate Editor of Connector. She can be reached at macie@mightymomedia.com.
industry is 6 feet and Steel Erection is 15 feet.” While there are no specific OSHA requirements that cover working from height while loading and unloading of steel on a trailer, if a standard trailer prior to filling the airbags is 4 feet tall, then there is a need for fall protection when loading steel at fabrication shops, [1910 Subpart D 1910.28(b)(1)(i)]. OSHA recommends guardrail systems, safety nets, or fall protection systems. The principal safety objectives when loading and unloading steel are: • Stability of the load at all stages, • Safe handling, lifting and placing of steel components, and • Safe access and working positions. Accidents that occur during the loading and unloading process are typically caused by falls from height, either from a working position or while gaining access to them. Other serious accidents can occur because of instability of the load while handling, lifting and placing components, and also during subsequent transporting activity. Failure to
22 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
establish safe procedures and implement them through effective management can create unnecessary hazards which leads to workers taking risks, causing accidents. “Erectors and fabricators should have open communication regarding transportation of materials. It is a good idea for startup meetings to take place early during planning about how trucks are loaded and unloaded to mitigate risk,” recommends Austin Reiner, Safety Manager, Derr & Gruenewald Construction Company. The single most important step that contributes to safe practices is to ensure that a competent person is overseeing and performing the task at hand, [29 CFR 1926.32(f)]. In terms of unloading at a construction site, identifying the competent person, who is employed by the erector, is necessary to ensure that the following preconditions are met. Best practices outlined in the BCSA’s include: • Ensure that the scope of work is within competence of the firm.