Safety Procedures for Dump Trucks

Dump trucks work near the edge of large piles, thousands of times per day, across several industries. During the 1990s, dozens of workers were injured and killed when dump trucks tipped over the edge of dump points. Fatal accidents may occur, even when a rollover happens working low-height piles. Knowledge of dump-point safety measures is critical for the safety of lives and equipment.

Know Work Conditions

• Maintain awareness that the materials at the edge of a pile are often loosely placed in thick layers. When the angle at the edge of the pile is steep, the material is subject to landslide conditions due to instability. Keep in mind that the load distribution for a dump truck puts most of the weight on its rear axles, which are going to be the closest to the edge of the pile. All of these factors can combine to cause hazardous conditions for the driver.

Prepare Work Area

• To increase the stability of the dump-point, prepare the grounds where unloading is taking place to increase stability and reduce hazardous conditions.

  Build a berm--which is a raised pile of material at the edge of the dump point over which materials are discharged. It serves a similar purpose to the concrete parking berms seen in many parking lots.

  If possible, prepare the grounds leading up to a berm to provide an upward angle. This also increases stability and helps to prevent a dump truck from rolling backwards over the berm. An upward ground approach for the backing dump truck is best. A flat approach rates best. However, prohibit a downward approach angle for your dump truck employees.

  For night work, provide plenty of lighting for the work area so that drivers are able to identify potentially hazardous conditions.

Safe Practices

• Perform pre-dump inspections of the work area at both the top and bottom of stockpiles and make necessary improvements to potentially hazardous conditions.

  Keep up with maintenance on the berms to protect against backing dump trucks from going over the edge.

  Drivers must always check the grounds in the dump area for cracks, depressions, and any other indicators that could lead to the ground shifting underneath the weight of the truck. If cracks do exist and work must continue, dump your load short of any cracks or other suspect areas, as recommended by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

  When utilizing "dump short" techniques, material can subsequently be pushed over the edge by a loader or a bulldozer.

  Consider dumping at the base of a pile instead of over the top when suspected hazardous conditions exist.

Warnings

• Never use the berm to stop the dump truck. Use visual indicators and stop short of the berm to avoid compromising safety.

  Maintain an adequate dump approach slope grade to avoid a rollover situation. Dumptruckinsurance.com provides details and graphical depiction, as does the National Ag Safety Database.

  Drivers must always back towards the berm perpendicularly. Approaching the berm at an angle will dramatically increase the chances of a catastrophic incident.