The Sam Carbis Solutions Group Safety Blog

There’s no getting around it: Your throughput depends on the loading, unloading and cleaning of tank trucks. Without proper safety solutions and equipment, these tasks are incredibly dangerous for your employees and drivers. Even the most seasoned workers could experience serious injuries or even death depending on the tasks they have to accomplish, the training they’ve been through and the protection they’re provided. Do you know the risks your drivers and workers face when accessing the tops and insides of tank trucks? Learn the top three hazards they may encounter and how to protect them with the right mix of equipment and training. Tank Truck Safety Hazard #1: Falling Off The Top Of The Tank In most cases, accessing the tank for loading and unloading means your employee has to climb on top of the tank to open a hatch or compressed air valve. Without the proper prevention or protection, simply standing on the top of the truck puts your workers at risk for serious injuries from ...

Static electricity — it sounds pretty innocuous but imagine what could happen when a seemingly insignificant spark comes into contact with an explosive liquid. A split second is all it takes for a tiny spark to create a full-blown disaster. Static electricity, also referred to as “The Invisible Enemy”, cannot be seen but is everywhere. There’s really no way to completely eradicate it. That’s why if your company deals with flammable liquids it is imperative that you protect yourself and your workers from stray sparks by using proper bonding and grounding. When handling flammable liquids, it’s easy to generate static electricity with even simple activities such as pumping, pouring, mixing, filtering or agitating liquids. Static electricity can be controlled with proper bonding and grounding. Bonding connects pieces of conductive equipment to keep them at the same potential. This way static sparking cannot take place when connected objects have the same potential. Grounding is a specia...

 Marine safety risks affect everyone who needs to access your vessel while it’s in port, from pilots and supervisors to longshoremen. Ships are in constant motion on the water, so you must provide stable, safe access to avoid falls. Every ship gangway in use at your site must be sturdy and well secured. You may already be working to meet local port and marine terminal agreements regarding fall prevention. However, are you ensuring your safety systems account for all of the risks your workers are exposed to? Consider how you can drastically improve ship gangway safety  and protect your workforce. Mitigate Common Gangway Risks In the interest of “getting the job done,” employers sometimes let convenience take precedence over safety. For example, workers may use makeshift wooden planks to access vessels docked next to one another. Such tactics increase the risk of falling into the water, where a worker may drown. In addition to providing safe dock gangways, use security netting...

Covering a flatbed load to protect it during transit is a common task for drivers and operators, and one that presents serious truck safety challenges. Avoiding Back Injuries Lifting heavy tarps onto flatbed trucks and pulling them to cover the load puts strain on the lower back and shoulders, and is a major concern in flatbed trucking. Back injuries from lifting and pulling tarps could result in permanent disability for truck drivers as well as workers’ compensation claims of over $500,000, according to KeepTruckingSafe.com , a resource provided by the state of Washington’s Bureau of Labor and Industries. The website includes an interactive tarping simulation as well as case studies that examine these truck safety concerns. One way to prevent these injuries is to use an overhead tarping system that lifts and spreads the tarp over the flatbed. The operator simply connects the tarp to the spreader bar, which is suspended from an overhead track. Using a powered winch system and h...

Whether your facility has recently suffered an accident or you’re taking a proactive approach to flatbed truck safety, here’s some good news: The safety equipment available today offers far more protection than hard hats and lifelines alone. Here are five fall protection strategies to consider for improving flatbed truck safety at your facility or work site: Overhead Tarping Systems The first step in preventing falls from flatbed trucks is to avoid having workers climb onto the trailer in the first place. An overhead tarping system provides a safer way to cover an entire flatbed trailer by eliminating the risks of standing or walking on the trailer itself. The operator simply connects a tarp to the spreader bar, which is suspended from an overhead track. Using a powered winch system and hand-held control, it’s easy for the operator to spread the tarp across the entire flatbed without leaving the ground. Access Equipment Platforms designed for flatbed trucks provide a safer work a...

Marine safety equipment is necessary for helping your workers access ships safely and preventing falls. Safer work conditions often increase efficiency and improve your bottom line. While you may have an idea of what type of equipment you’re looking for, it’s important to not miss any important details. Always shop for safety equipment with the following four qualities: 1. Adaptable To Various Conditions No two days at your marine facility are exactly alike. Whether you run into problems with limited dock space, variable water heights or obstructions blocking ship access points, you need safety equipment that’s flexible. Marine safety equipment must adapt to changing conditions  within your work environment. For example, the barges you’re working on and their access points may change throughout the day. Your safety solutions provider should give you the following mounting options to choose from in a barge gangway: Float mode – As water levels rise and fall, your barge simply dr...

In comparison to other shipping vehicles, marine vessels are perhaps the most difficult to secure. Workers are at greater risk of falls and accidents because ships are in constant motion. Add changing tides to the equation, and providing safe access becomes even harder. Despite the challenges, improving marine safety offers significant benefits. Your workforce will be more surefooted on steady marine gangways with handrails , improving loading and unloading efficiency. Other forms of marine safety equipment, such as ship towers, make it easier to access vessels of any height. As you consider your current ship and dock safety measures, ask yourself whether your systems address the following two marine safety challenges: 1. Difficulty Boarding Barges and ships generally come to your facility for one of two reasons: to load or unload. Docks are outfitted well for loading devices to attach to the ship. However, you have to figure out how to get on and off the vessel. This is the risky pa...

Transloading between trucks and rail cars helps you lower transportation costs through affordable rail shipping, even if your origin site or destination is not along a rail line. However, the process of tank rail car loading  and unloading can be dangerous. For example, workers may become lightheaded and faint if they inhale fumes from petroleum fuels. The manual labor involved in loading and unloading also presents a danger. Without proper equipment to improve the ergonomics of a task, workers may receive repetitive strain injuries. Then, there’s the matter of the tank cars themselves. Workers may fall from a height if they climb on top and trip. Unsecured cars may also move unexpectedly and strike workers on the tracks. While safety risks like these can’t be eliminated entirely, you can mitigate them. Learn more about how to protect your workers during rail transloading. Follow Rail Transloading Safety Procedures The Federal Railroad Administration has certain rules  in pl...

If you’ve ever shopped online for flatbed trailer safety systems, you know there’s no shortage of solutions. It may seem daunting to narrow your options and find the ideal equipment for your site. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to simply pick your safety solutions from a website. Consider the following types of equipment and ask yourself honestly whether you would be able to choose the precise models suited to your facility: Drive-off protection Warning lights Swing gates Flatbed tarping platforms Overhead tarping systems Canopy systems Complete terminals Perhaps you read an article about swing gates or know that a competitor uses certain flatbed tarping platforms. But how do you know if the equipment meets your specific requirements? Learn how to assess your site’s needs and choose the correct equipment with the help of a safety expert. Factors That Determine Your Ideal Safety Solution Your flatbed trailer safety equipment must suit your site layout, processes and trucks. ...

Fall prevention often means the difference between life and death. Hundreds of people die from falls on the job every year. While you want to protect your workforce, you may not know where to start. A comprehensive fall prevention program  includes these three pillars: Planning to work safely Providing fall prevention equipment Training workers to use equipment safely If you’re assessing your workplace risks, speaking with a safety expert and purchasing the right fall prevention equipment for your site, you’ve already started working on the “planning” and “providing” pillars. But what about the last, critical piece? Before you can implement an appropriate fall prevention training program, you must understand the difference between fall prevention and fall protection. Fall protection is a backup system for someone who may lose balance in a dangerous area. The purpose is usually to arrest a fall and mitigate the risk of injury. On the other hand, fall prevention is used t...

According to OSHA, loading and unloading liquids, especially those that are combustible, is one of the most dangerous tasks in any manufacturing or storage facility. Incorporating the proper safety equipment and procedures is key to helping your tank truck workers stay safe. Damaged suspension-type highway trailers that can’t support the weight of tank trucks may cause injuries during loading and unloading. But even if your trucks are in perfect working condition, other safety risks exist. Consider these four tank truck safety risks and how your organization can mitigate them. 1. Falls Your workers may be hospitalized for fractures, head injuries and other serious problems if they fall from a tank truck. Even worse, their injuries may be fatal. In 2014, a tank truck driver backed his truck into the garage bay, exited the vehicle and climbed on top to vent the oil tanker compartments. He fell 10 feet to the concrete floor below  and died the next day. Standard cages and gangways o...

Many factors make tarping flatbed trailers a dangerous job. Tarps are often heavy, weighing as much as 150 pounds. They are large, unwieldy and difficult to manage, which may lead to ergonomic injuries. In harsh weather conditions like rain, sleet and snow, treading on the plastic tarp may cause your workers to slip and fall from a height. Wind also throws workers off balance when they’re handling a tarp on a flatbed truck. Your workers should be on guard when walking on top of unstable or uneven loads due to the risk of fatal falls. However, this is only a minimum precaution. You need a more comprehensive fall prevention solution to mitigate safety risks. Don’t wait until an injury or death to evaluate your tarping process. Learn how to protect your workers tarping flatbed trailers with the right safety systems for your facility. First, Seek Expert Safety Consulting It’s impossible to simply pick a piece of safety equipment off a list without first assessing your risks. A truck safe...

There's more than one way to load and unload products. The two most popular options for tank trucks and rail cars are hoses and loading arms. Each option has its own purpose as far as moving product, ease of use, and increased throughput. There are three basic types of hoses – vapor recovery, steel braided, and composite. • Vapor recovery hoses  are used when lightweight and flexibility are needed. These hoses are appropriate for diesel, gasoline, and lubricating oils. • Steel braided hoses  are ideal for hydraulic situations that use the dreaded combo of high heat and high temperature. They have good corrosion resistance as well as resistance to fire and abrasions. These types of hoses have to be durable and reliable, with a high degree of safety. For really high-pressure applications, two or three layers of braiding may be added. Still, the braiding is flexible and able to follow the hose’s movement. • Composite hoses  are compatible with the widest range of chemica...

Loading cement trucks presents several safety hazards. Accidents often result in serious injuries or even fatalities, which is why it’s so important to make workplace safety a top priority. In the daily rush, it may be difficult for drivers and facility managers to imagine that an accident could happen on their watch. To safeguard your employees, it’s critical to proactively implement fall prevention practices designed to keep your workers out of harm’s way. Here are four ways to boost worker safety at your cement loading facility: 1. Implement Proper Truck Spotting Procedures In a cement loading facility, it’s critical that the truck is spotted correctly every single time. Otherwise, serious (and even fatal) accidents may occur. Even with the right safety equipment, your employees are still at risk of an accident if a truck isn’t properly spotted. If a cement truck is mis-spotted, the safety cage won’t align with the top hatches. Track mounting allows the gangway to be moved along ...

Loading and unloading a cement truck is a dangerous task, and it’s unlike any other truck loading process. How well a driver spots a truck is more important than any safety solution, and plenty of stories prove this . Still, proper truck spotting is one of the hardest practices to instill in your drivers and operators. Learn more about the importance of truck spotting and how to promote truck safety at your cement loading facility. Importance Of Truck Spotting During The Loading Process Unlike other truck loading processes, the cement loading process requires three steps: 1. Opening the hatch(es) 2. Driving under the dry cement loading spout 3. Closing the hatch(es) The three-step loading process presents additional opportunities for an accident to occur. Even with the right safety equipment, your operators are still at risk of an injury if a cement truck is mis-spotted. During the loading process, truck spotting is more important than the safety equipment you have in place. It’s...

Transloading is the term used for the process that takes place when a shipment must be transferred from one mode of transportation to another. Transloading is often used in the oil industry because the pipelines to the refineries are in the south so if the well head is somewhere else in the country, the oil has to travel there. Transloading takes place when one type of transportation can’t make the entire journey or it may be more cost effective to transfer the shipment from one mode to another. Usually product (in this scenario it’s crude oil) is transloaded from tank trucks into about 120 connected railcars. Using railcars to carry product may sound old fashioned but it’s still the most consistently effective way to transport lots of products including crude oil. A tank truck terminal transloading to railcars will have a rail spur off the main train track. This way, the railcars can pull in and be loaded. Once loading is complete the cars continue back to the main railway for the jo...

Chemical manufacturing plants are full of potential threats to the safety of your employees. Every day, your workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals, which may lead to serious injuries or death. Finding ways to reduce the risk of accidents and implementing fall prevention strategies are critical to workplace safety. To do this, it’s essential to understand the types of injuries that occur in chemical plants and, most importantly, why they occur. Common Injuries At Chemical Manufacturing Plants Chemicals are toxic and highly flammable, making chemical manufacturing plants extremely dangerous. Common injuries that occur at chemical plants include: Chemical burns Slips, trips and falls Overexertion Cuts and scrapes Chemical exposure Inhalation of chemicals Causes Of Accidents In Chemical Plants Even when precautions are taken to reduce the risk of accidents in chemical manufacturing plants, they still occur from time to time. Knowing how and why accidents occur helps you take ad...

Investing in the right fall prevention equipment is an important part of mitigating the risk of injuries and fatalities in the workplace and improving rail safety. A crashbox or operator platform is the built-in railing area that surrounds the hatch opening or valves on a rail car. An opening for workers to walk through should be centered within the crashbox. When it’s not centered, the crashbox is considered to be offset. The Dangers Of Offset Crashboxes When a crashbox/operator platform is offset, working conditions become more dangerous for workers. Several risks are associated with offset crashboxes, including spotting the gangway and fall prevention. To access the hatch or valve, a worker must first line up the gangway with the opening of the crashbox so an operator is able to walk to the top of the rail car. At the same time, a human spotter is on the ground, walking alongside the rail car. There may also be employees keeping sight of a mark or ladder on the car to provide gu...