Access Equipment - The Safety & Numbers work safety blog

Celebrating 15 Years of The Trucker® (…and Still Trucking!)

In 2014 Innovative Access Solutions (IAS®) is excited to celebrate 15 years of The Trucker® Series, made possible by a focus on safety and customer relationships. We would like to thank our loyal customer base for helping us achieve the goal of making The Trucker® an established and respected name in fall protection safety, and we invite you to contact the IAS® sales team to learn more.

The Trucker® Series through the Years

September 1999 — The Trucker I 6900 flatbed trailer ladder introduced

2004: The original Cast Aluminum mounting hooks changed to CNC Billet Aluminum, an ‘unbreakable’ hook that added durability and improved safety to The Trucker I

2007: Roll Tarp Trucker was introduced, designed to provide access to Tarp Trailers

2007-2009: With the brand strengthened as a result of the ‘unbreakable’ mounting hooks and having developed several strong relationships with large established businesses, Trucker® began to take off. Drop Deck Trucker was introduced and the four step ECO Trucker was developed and ANSI rated @ 375 lbs.

2010: The 4 Step Trucker ladder was created for access to crane trucks and taller trailers

2011: As The Trucker® grew, Storage and Mounting Options were developed

Ladder Storage Racks were developed in Upright and Shelf variations
The Utility Trucker was introduced as a mounted ladder option that pivots up 180⁰
A Steel Mounting Bracket was developed for mounting ladders without pockets

2011-2012: Mobile Flatbed Work Platforms with Safety Rails were engineered as a custom product request and became a standard product in use at several Construction, Transportation, and Manufacturing companies

October 2011: The 4’ Platform designed and ANSI rated at 3-Man (3000 lb.)
August 2012: 8’ Work Platform designed and ANSI rated at 3-Man (3000 lb.)

2013: All Trucker Series ladders were ANSI rated at 375 lbs. Type IAA Special Duty, the highest available Extra Heavy Duty rating for specialty ladders

2014: This year The Trucker® Series was granted an official trademark, new products are in development, and we are looking forward to 15 more years and beyond!

Today The Trucker® Series of ladders, storage racks and work platforms is capable of equipping most any truck fleet or stationary truck with fall protection equipment that is convenient, versatile and durable. This growth is in large part a result of relationships with customers that were willing to share their workplace access safety goals.

Celebrate with the 15 Years of Trucker® Promotion

Part of the power of customer relationships comes from a willingness to share the wealth and spread the word. With that in mind, we are offering a 15% Discount off a single Trucker® Ladder or Storage Rack. Simply apply the following Coupon Code prior to September 30, 2014 to join our celebration and save.

Apply COUPON CODE: 15YEARS at The Trucker® Online Store

Fall Prevention Through Design: A Case Study from ASSE

Putting safety first applies not only in day to day operations, but also in the planning stages of new projects, investments and expansions. In 2012 ANSI/ASSE created a consensus standard to promote this mentality. Prevention Through Design as a concept in work safety began in the 1940’s and today has gained enough momentum and regulatory support to provide several models that prove its effectiveness. A recent article at ASSE.org charts the effectiveness of engineering safety controls in the design process while considering the defeatability of safety hazard risk.

The most effective controls include elimination, substitution and engineering solutions, each ideally suited to be planned in the design phase of new projects. Doing so will provide safety, productivity, and cost benefits. In fact, the cost of implementing fall prevention through design can be thousands of times less expensive than the same solution integrated post completion. Compromised solutions are often less effective, leaving hazard risks and associated costs.

Fall Prevention Design Case Study

The ASSE article provides a case study from a petrochemical organization building a new offshore platform. The company had experienced the challenges of implementing fall prevention after the design stage and instead chose to hire a fall protection consultant early on to assist the engineering design team. The combined expertise resulted in fall prevention safety measures that focused on productivity and risk abatement. The process consisted of the following steps.

Kickoff Meeting with Design team
Virtual Fall Hazard Risk Assessment
Design Team Workshops
Specification Binder for Hazard Abatements
Follow-Through During Construction Process

The benefits of foreseeing and engineering fall prevention through design are long term: safety advantages, productivity gains, and ultimately lower costs. The case study resulted in hazard risk controls addressing elevated platforms, floor openings, ladders, and stair guardrails, helping to prevent the need for PPE and optimize processes, equipment placement and usage. Indirect long term benefits included ‘less equipment purchases, less training and fewer elements to manage.’

Innovative Access Fall Prevention Design

Contacting a consultant while engineering an offshore platform was effective for the company from the ASSE case study. The consultant costs were compared favorably to erecting scaffolding, the cost of which would have been required to address just one of the safety risks post-completion. Innovative Access Solutions is available to contribute similarly during the design or redesign stages at your organization. IAS has worked with Fortune 500 companies as well as SMB businesses to design solutions that provide long term cost and productivity benefits and accomplish your safety goals. IAS designs ladders, platforms and fall prevention equipment and has provided solutions for a range of industries. For a brief review of our access solutions, visit us at IAScustom.com. Or call (800) 388-6884 to schedule an appointment with our team.

OSHA Alliance and Fixed Ladders or Stairways for Fall Prevention

The OSHA Alliance Program is a cooperative effort to leverage resources related to safety initiatives, communication, and training. OSHA Alliance includes ‘unions, consulates, trade or professional organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, businesses, and educational institutions’ that promote work safety and support OSHA’s strategic goals. Alliance members must be committed to working closely with OSHA and establishing teams or individual workers to facilitate the cause, while maintaining and growing knowledge and a safe work environment. In addition to internal safety benefits, Alliance members are able to maintain progressive dialogue with OSHA and other champions of work safety. To learn more, contact your OSHA Regional Office.

OSHA Ladder Fall Prevention Campaign

One of OSHA’s ongoing strategic goals is to mitigate risks and increase knowledge regarding falls from ladders. Fall incidents are the leading cause of deaths in construction and present a wide range of potential work hazards. Considering the variability of material, application, and objective for ladders and stairs, it is not surprising that OSHA produces a significant amount of standards and guidelines for fall protection safety. In addition to OSHA’s ongoing Ladder Fall Prevention Campaign, requirements and resources that support this cause are provided by specialized organizations such as ANSI and MSHA (Mining Ladder Safety).

OSHA Alliance Solution: Fixed Ladders or Stairways

The OSHA Alliance Program has produced a summary solution document as a resource for preventing falls from ladders in construction work environments. This Construction Safety Design Solution recommends specifying fixed ladders or stairways early on to eliminate the hazards and risks associated with portable ladders and to ensure proper ladder or stairway specifications for access to upper levels. The document also provides links to applicable OSHA regulations and ANSI standards for detailed information. Visit OSHA Alliance member Prevention through Design for more work safety resources.

Custom Fixed Ladder or Stairway Design

Innovative Access Solutions has been producing fixed ladders and stairways for construction, manufacturing, maritime, energy, and other industries for many years.

Information about how IAS can help support your work safety initiatives is available at IAScustom.com, or click the above images to browse our custom design gallery.

Mining Industry Ladder Safety

The MSHA (Mining Safety & Health Administration) recently published an excellent summary of ladder safety standards for the mining industry. The MSHA was formed to ‘administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act). MSHA carries out the mandates of the Mine Act at all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, commodity mined, or method of extraction.’

The published document covers all topics and categories related to ladder safety training, from the basics of safe access requirements, requirements for each ladder category and special circumstances such as alternating tread and underground ladders. This blog post will summarize standards related to Fixed Ladders, Mobile Equipment Ladders, and the basics of Access Requirements, Ladder Construction and Maintenance. For complete access to this valuable MSHA resource, mining professionals are encouraged to download the Mining Ladder Safety Standards PDF.

Safe Access & Construction and Maintenance

The MSHA standards document provides a detailed summary of possible mining ladder safety citations complete with images of compliant and non-compliant ladders. In addition to common sense factors such as the condition and strength of a ladder, factors such as the height of the bottom rung, the width of the ladder uprights, ladders that require workers to climb over obstructions to mount or unmount, and other potential fall hazards are described. In some cases personal fall protection equipment such as lanyards and harnesses may also be required.

Fixed Ladders

Fixed ladders have been assigned highly detailed requirements specific to the application. In many cases, safety measures such as landings, backguards, and protection for openings at the upper level are required. To review these complex standards, we recommend reviewing the Mining Ladder Safety Standards presentation for details.

Mobile Equipment Ladders

“Fixed mobile equipment ladders must comply with applicable fixed ladder standards such as 30 CFR §§ 56/57.11005 and 30 CFR §§ 56/57.11017.”

The details provided in the MSHA ladder standards document are extended to include even standards for mobile equipment ladders. These ladders must be maintained the same as other ladders and when affixed to equipment, fall under the fixed ladder category. The uniqueness of mobile equipment fixed ladders leads to certain exemptions and standards that may also apply to walkways that provide access to operator cabs.

For information about designing custom ladder access solutions for your mining facility, contact Innovative Access Solutions, LLC.

Shipyard Work Safety

Shipyard work safety programs for private sector businesses are generally under the jurisdiction of Federal OSHA regulations. The shipyard workplace environment presents a wide range of injury hazards including confined spaces, scaffolds and ladders, rigging, and equipment associated with painting, welding, and material handling. To help reduce the risks affiliated with these environments, Personal Protective Equipment is frequently recommended. OSHA has published a complete guide to Shipyard Industry Safety Standards with recommendations for small, medium, or large businesses.

Of particular interest to this blog are the shipyard safety standards provided for Scaffolds, Ladders, and Other Working Surfaces. In this post we will take a look at the training recommendations for work safety Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control, and also provide information about access products to meet OSHA requirements at shipyards.

Hazard Identification and Controls

We have discussed the importance of work hazard assessments on this blog. The published OSHA standards cover the basic policies of inspecting the workplace, evaluating the level of risk, and working with employees and management to identify and determine solutions to work hazards. In addition, OSHA provides valuable recommendations regarding how to manage risk associated with identified hazards in the short term while longer term solutions are being developed. Placing priority on hazard abatement timeframe is important, and interim solutions should be considered.

OSHA also emphasizes the importance of systematic processes, from checking injury logs in support of hazard identification, to using checklists during inspections and breaking down jobs into tasks to determine root causes of accidents or hazards. The Shipyard Standards document additionally provides a hierarchy of hazard prevention controls, starting with engineering and work practice improvements. These involve ‘physical changes to jobs’ and are the top level priority. When engineering controls are not feasible, or in support of engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment are to be considered next in the hazard prevention hierarchy.

Custom Shipyard Access Products from IAS

OSHA provides detailed requirements for scaffolds, ladders, deck openings and edges, and access to vessels, dry docks/marine railways, and cargo spaces. Innovative Access Solutions has provided shipyard work safety access products for each of these applications. A few of the OSHA-referenced access solutions include portable metal ladders, gangways, guardrails, platforms, access to lower levels, and ladders for accessing cargo areas or confined spaces. IAS is experienced, knowledgeable and available to help meet your shipyard access needs. Contact IAS at (800) 388-6884 to inquire about shipyard access products.

The Trucker™ Series of Ladders Rated as ANSI Type IAA

The Trucker™ Series of ladders was recently tested and passed ANSI Type IAA Special Duty performance requirements. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard A14.7-2007 applies to portable metal ladders and provides duty ratings from 200 to 375 pound capacity. Type IAA is the maximum 375 lb. duty rating, described as an Extra Heavy Duty Industrial Ladder.

The Trucker™ Series of ladders are safety engineered to reduce fall injuries and improve efficiency when accessing truck trailer decks. The Trucker ladders provide dimpled Wide Grip Strut® plank steps, feature handrails that extend above the deck to provide 3 points of contact, and are engineered with a diagonal stairway design for ease of access. The ladders meet and exceed the general requirements provided by OSHA for ladder safety:

When there is a break in elevation of 19 inches(48 cm) or more and no ramp, runway, embankment or personnel hoist is available, employers must provide a stairway or ladder at all worker points of access.
Source: Stairways & Ladders: A Guide to OSHA Rules

ANSI A14.7-2007 Testing Procedures

The Trucker™ ladders underwent tests far exceeding the duty rating, passing test loads in excess of 1200 lbs. to meet the requirements of the 375 pound special duty rating. Tests included In-Use Inclined Load Test, Step / Rung Bending Strength Tests, Side-to-Side-Rail Shear Strength Tests, Rung Torque Tests, and Handrail Tests. With a durable design including CNC billet mounting hooks and extruded aluminum frame, The Trucker Series of Ladders offer the durability to provide mobile safety for truck fleets, stationary trailers, or individual truck drivers when accessing the trailer deck.

The Trucker™ Series of Ladders

The Trucker™ ladders are designed to mount to a variety of flatbed trailers including drop deck, roll tarp, curtain side, and more. The Trucker Series of ladders feature plank steps and a pivoting bottom step, and fold up compactly for storage and mobility. Additional ANSI rated Trucker ladders include a shorter two step ladder and longer four step ladder, originally designed for crane trucks. Mounting options include the standard CNC mounting hooks, for mounting throughout the stake rack, or steel brackets for more permanent ladder placement.

The Safety & Numbers blog is pleased to highlight The Trucker™ Series of ladders as a valuable equipment investment for businesses to improve work safety. Trucker ladders provide features designed for the mobile truck driver or service fleet. In addition to the compact design, lockable storage racks and accompanying flatbed work platforms can provide safety on and off the work site.