Operating Dump Trucks in Reverse
According to BLS, between 2011 and 2015, of the 49 workers fatally struck by a dump truck, the dump truck was backing up in 40 cases.
If it is reasonable to expect employees will enter the backing zone, the vehicle must have an operable automatic reverse signal alarm which is both audible above the surrounding noise level and can be heard at least fifteen feet from the rear of the vehicle.
You must also have an observer who signals when it is safe to back up or stop or the vehicle has an operable device installed which gives the driver a full view of the area behind the dump truck.
Real Life Accident
A 28-year-old laborer was backed over by a tack truck while working as a flagger on an asphalt resurfacing job in a residential roadway work zone. The victim was standing with his back to the reversing tack truck when a dump truck driver attempted to warn him by waving his arms. The tack truck struck the victim; the driver thought he had passed over a manhole cover and continued backing. The tack truck driver stopped when he saw the dump truck driver running and waving his arms in his mirror. Both drivers found the victim at the front of the tack truck lying face down on a man-hole cover on the ground.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. What must a dump truck have if it is reasonable to expect employees will enter the truck's backing zone?
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