Working at Heights - Shipping Operations
I have been struggling with this topic - I know there was a post on this a while back but wanted to revisit the topic.
When employees are preparing material to be shipped on flatbed trucks, (hooking up/removing rigging, tarping, etc.) how have you all handled fall protection?
I have seen some solutions but the main issues I run into are: use of overhead cranes for loading, lack of tie off points, and the height of material being loaded (mobile guardrails).
I know in the Construction Industry there is the exemption for work on "rolling stock", but this exemption does not apply to General Industry.
Comments (7)
There's many options for this. At my last employer (prior to Arrow Safety), we installed various tarping systems so that an automated system would install the tarp for you (similar to the one at the first link below), then all you'd have to do would be to secure the tarp by throwing the straps over the flatbed to the other side. It's expensive, but if you're dealing with this on a daily basis with multiple trucks, it's worth the investment. As you'll notice in the link below, if you're already using an overhead crane, you could get the attachment to use on your existing overhead crane.
Another option is an overhead anchorage system. At a chemical manufacturer I worked at, we installed three beams on the outside of the building where the trucks would do their washouts, inspections, etc., then installed a horizontal lifeline (HLL) between the beams that the drivers could tie off to while they were on top of their trailers. The HLL has to be designed by a qualified person, which some states require to be an RPE.
If it's infrequent or those other options don't work, a mobile anchor point, such as the Mobile Grabber from Malta Dynamics, is an option. It can be used anywhere, is telescoping, comes in various heights, and has multiple anchor points on there. We're partners with Malta Dynamics, so if you're interested, let me know and I can get you a discount through them.
https://www.carbissolutions.com/product/flatbed-operations-overhead-tarping/
https://maltadynamics.com/mobile-fall-protection/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=xseries&utm_content=ad_group_1&utm_term=mobile%20grabber&utm_term=mobile%20grabber&utm_campaign=XSERIES&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3130872631&hsa_cam=20429519659&hsa_grp=151418414785&hsa_ad=668308109457&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-1922256694737&hsa_kw=mobile%20grabber&hsa_mt=p&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijbWs4gv4WO6hH_lLdv05scnRLQsJlsDNqSJwM-tM_G3GyQOCYx3ImxoC40cQAvD_BwE