How can PLC Members Go Green for Safety?
Evaluating risk is the first step in preventing accidents in the workplace. As we review safety issues in this newsletter, we will consistently talk about “Going Green” in regards to safety. What does this mean? Very simply, we classify potential safety risks in the workplace using a three-color system.
• Red is used to classify tasks that are dangerous or clear hazards present in the workplace.
• Yellow is used to classify tasks that could be dangerous or potential hazards present in the workplace.
• Green is used to classify tasks and potential hazards in the workplace where risk is low or eliminated thanks to measures including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being used and readily available; employees being made aware of and able to communicate about hazards, PPE requirements, first aid measures, storage requirements and handling procedures; or where annual training on preventing injury is being completed.
The goal with going GREEN is to get all tasks and potential hazards to GREEN and to have a system for recognizing tasks and elements in the workplace that are clearly hazards – RED, or potentially hazardous and in need of improvement – YELLOW.
PLC Safety Newsletter
DRIVING LOGGING TRUCKS
Feb. 23, 2018
By Miranda Gowell, PLC Safety Coordinator
What does “go green” mean when it comes to DRIVING LOGGING TRUCKS in the logging industry? What does it mean to be safe while driving logging trucks?
Going green is doing work tasks in a way designed to prevent injuries and losses. First of all, we need to look at near misses, incidents and accidents connected to driving logging trucks. This includes looking at driving violations, truck DOT inspections, reviewing driving accidents, driving near misses, driving incidents, complaints called in about logging truck drivers, and reviewing ELD logs.
What are the hazards of driving a logging truck? Accidents can include:
Being struck in rear by another vehicle
Accidents at intersections
Striking another vehicle in the rear
Sideswipe and Head-on Collisions
Squeeze Plays and Shout Outs
Backing Accidents
Accidents while passing
Accidents while being passed
Accidents while entering traffic stream
Pedestrian Accidents
Mechanical Defect Accidents
Attached is a guide for preventable or non-preventable accidents addressing these types of logging truck driving hazards as provided by NATMI training.
We need to be professional about how we are going to prevent accidents, injuries, near-misses and losses caused by logging trucks and drivers and identify how we can prevent the same accidents, incidents, injuries, near miss and losses. According to a comprehensive Federal Highway Administrative study, 2/3s of all trucking accidents are preventable. Over 50% of all preventable accidents were attributed to five prime causes.
These 5 prime causes are:
Adverse weather conditions
Following too closely
Failure to maintain control
Reckless driving
Improper lane changes
There are three categories to evaluate risk: RED, YELLOW and GREEN. ▪ RED could be used for logging truck accidents caused by the logging truck driver or logging truck mechanical failure or poor choices by operations ie. operating trucks in adverse weather ▪ YELLOW could be used to identify potential logging truck maintenance issues or logging truck driver training issues. ▪ GREEN could be used for systems that are in place that prevent logging truck accidents, incidents and near misses.
The goal with going GREEN is to get all logging truck trainings, drivers and maintenance operations to GREEN and to have a system in place to identify logging truck driver hazards that are dangerous – RED or logging truck maintenance or training issues that may require improvement – YELLOW and identifying what we are doing well – GREEN. Evaluating risk is the first step in prevention.
Do you need an audit of your logging truck driver safety program?
Submit accident investigation details as well as preventative measures to
Miranda Gowell, PLC Safety Coordinator
safety@maineloggers.com
1-207-841-0250