Fall Protection And Safety Systems For The Transportation Industry

The transportation industry has many dangers, including falling objects, collisions, falls, and long-term sitting. Many people are not aware that most people who die from falls only fall 20 feet or less. There are many dangers in the transportation industry, but many overlook them. There are a few things you can do to limit the risk to your employees that work with tankers, loading docks, rail cars, and flatbed trailers.

Follow OSHA Regulations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for promoting worker safety and for investigating unsafe working conditions. Unfortunately, there are only a few OSHA regulations that apply to truck drivers, operators of trains, and other workers in the transportation industry.

The first rules were created in 2004, but they were so broad that it confused many within the industry. After years of complaints, OSHA rescinded their rules for workers operating on flatbed trailers and other similar transportation systems.

Luckily, OSHA now recommends employers rely on general standards, including requiring a guardrail on any platform that is more than four feet above the ground. Specifically, any platform that is four feet or more above the ground and has unprotected edges must come with fall protection systems. These safety systems include guardrails, personal arresting systems, safety nets, and trailer ladders.

The rule jumps to six feet for drivers who are unloading trailers. For all other general transportation industry sites, such as unloading from a railcar, the height requirement is four feet.

Portable fall prevention safety systems

While permanent safety systems are often the best, it isn’t always realistic for your drivers to rely on someone else to provide fall protection. Therefore, to guard against unreliability, it is a good idea to include a portable solution with each truck or railcar.

Portable fall protection safety systems are especially useful in loading docks and other non-permanent debarking systems. Portable systems, such as the Deckmate Ladder, are suitable for truck drivers and flatbed trailers. This trailer safety ladder is designed to withstand high winds by latching onto the vehicle and using sturdy legs to anchor itself. The Deckmate Ladder is also compact, which makes it ideal for drivers who operate solely out of their cabin.

Gateway Supply in Pampa, Texas is the authorized distributor of the Deckmate Ladder for the United States. If you would like more information about trailer safety, contact Gateway Supply in Pampa, Texas today. You can call us at (806) 440-1126 or Contact Us by email to learn more about our flatbed trailer ladders.