Backover incidents, when a construction vehicle strikes a worker who is standing, walking or kneeling behind a vehicle, account for a high number of worksite accidents and fatalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 70 workers died from backover incidents in 2011 and that average has remained similar in data covering a six-year period. Proper safety precautions can go a long way to prevent these hazardous situations.
At OSHA’s 2013 Stakeholders’ meeting addressing backover accidents, meeting participants agreed that no single solution can be applied to prevent all backover hazards and that the best strategy is one that integrates several different approaches.
Internal Traffic Plans
Internal Traffic Plans are systems that tell workers where to drive and are designed to separate vehicles from pedestrians. These plans can also reduce the need for backing up in some cases. At construction worksites, traffic plans may need to adapt to changing conditions and safety managers are encouraged to install more permanent traffic control measures, such as floor marking tape to designate traffic lanes.
It is important to remember that blind spots behind and around vehicles are not immediately obvious to employees on foot. By training employees on where those blind spots are and how to avoid them, employers can prevent some backover incidents. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides several blind spot diagrams that can help explain what drivers of various large trucks can see.
Alarms and Spotters
OSHA requires that all vehicles on construction sites that have obstructed rear views have either a backup alarm or a spotter, and in many cases both of these safety measures should be used as the noise of construction sites can drown out alarms. Currently, OSHA does not specifically require backup alarms on powered industrial trucks, such as forklifts.
“Spotters should use agreed upon hand signals, maintain visual contact with drivers and wear high-visibility clothing. If a driver loses sight of a spotter, he or she should stop the vehicle immediately.”
Additionally, specific regulations prohibit eliminating parts from powered industrial trucks including backup alarms. OSHA requires employers to ensure that powered industrial truck operators look in the direction of travel, whether moving forward or in reverse.
Other technical safety measures include:
- Video cameras with in-vehicle display monitors can give drivers a view of what is behind them.
- Proximity detection devices, such as radar and sonar, can alert drivers to objects that are behind them.
- Tag-based systems can inform drivers when other employees are behind the vehicle and can alert employees when they walk near a vehicle equipped to communicate with the tag worn by the employee.
See OSHA’s Preventing Backover Accidents or contact us directly at Diversified Safety Services.
