Slips, trips and falls make up the majority of general industry accidents, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and more than a quarter of all truck and transportation workplace injuries, and are the leading cause for worker compensation claims.
Nearly a decade ago, a driver for a contracted carrier fell off a flatbed trailer at one of Eaton Steel Corp.'s, plants. This event cost the parent company of Adica Trucking Company a $1.4 million settlement.
[Related: Fleets using new technology to remove busywork, improve safety outcomes]
About three years ago, Adica had one of its own drivers fall off an open flatbed onto his head. The driver was bending over and lost his balance, said Jeff Bronson, Adica Trucking Company director of transportation. "That hit us in the face like a 2x4."
Bronson, along with Adica Fleet Services & Trucking Company Director of Safety Marc Scibilia and the company's corporate counsel, David Gunsberg, began exploring ways to prevent falls – or at least prevent a driver from falling off the working surface. The group scoured the Internet and found nothing that was both lightweight and portable.
NoFalls, a network of stakes and straps that creates a split-rail-type barrier along edge of the trailer, also acts as a guide wire when walking along the deck, much like a handrail on a staircase.
At 85 pounds per side, NoFalls is fairly lightweight and portable. It's quick to assemble and disassemble, and it also meets or exceeds the OSHA guidelines for fall protection (1910.28).
