Steel Pipe Handling Safety: A Case Study on Reducing Incidents

I recently came across the latest incident report from Workplace Health & Safety Queensland regarding falls from trucks and felt that I should write a case study to help spread the word about how Roadpod could've potentially prevented both of these incidents. If you feel someone would benefit from this information, I hope you'll share this post!

The Incident: Worker Falls Off Truck, Crushed by Steel Pipe

In March, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland reported two incidents involving falls from heights while loading trucks. The first occurred in December 2018 when a worker was fatally crushed after a 1.8 tonne steel pipe rolled and fell off a truck during the loading process. In January 2019, a similar accident occurred but this time the worker’s life was spared. A 500 kilogram pipe tee slid off a trailer while the person was attempting to strap the load down. The tee struck the worker, knocking him off the trailer and narrowly missing him.

The Challenge: Cylindrical Pipes are Hazardous to Move

Because pipes can easily roll when they’re being lifted, lowered, pushed, carried or restrained on truck beds, you have to take every precaution on your work site to ensure that incidents don’t occur. A fall-related fatality is not only devastating to the the worker’s family, coworkers, and the community, it can also have a catastrophic effect on your business. In 2018, a truck driver was fatally crushed by a load of timber. As a result of this tragedy, the timber company was fined $210,000. ​

The Solution: The Roadpod Fall Prevention Truck Loading System

Unloading and loading freight is an unavoidable daily activity that poses a safety risk if a fall arrest system or height safety equipment is not in use. Paying workplace cover and sick leave costs your company thousands and results in a loss of productivity and workplace morale. Roadpod is the only fall prevention solution of its kind that allows companies to load and unload freight at ground level, ensuring that employees return to their loved ones unharmed at the end of the work day.

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