When it comes to their fleet, refuse companies generally look at safety from two broad perspectives—operational safety and driver safety—states Charles Cook, marketing manager for vocational products, Peterbilt. Operational safety concerns the security of coworkers and the general public, while the truck is on collection routes or transfer station runs and working landfill sites. This includes truck attributes such as visibility and braking. Driver safety concerns the personal health and well-being of the driver and includes features such as truck ergonomics and ease of entry and egress, which some collection vehicle operators do frequently.
It’s no small concern. Waste/recycling collection workers have the seventh highest fatality rate in the United States, eight times higher than the national average.
The Stats
According to a 2012 report by the CDC, the solid waste industry suffered 599 fatal traumatic occupational injuries from 2003 to 2009—averaging 85 per year. Refuse collection workers make up 25% of the solid waste industry but experienced 36% of total fatalities. The vast majority occurred in the private sector among workers in the transportation and material-moving job class: truck drivers and collection workers. While this class makes up 46% of the waste industry workforce, they account for 75% of occupational injuries since 2003, reports the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.
The most common complaints were injuries from contact with equipment, being struck by objects or equipment, and overexertion from lifting. The CDC says that transportation incidents, such as collisions and rollovers, were the leading cause of injury. Collection workers have also been struck and killed by other motorists. Contact with objects and equipment was the second leading cause of fatalities—being struck by or against an object and being caught in an object or equipment.
Some of the most common types of accidents in the waste industry:
- backing—25% of all accidents, most frequent
- rear-end collisions—attention and speed, second-most frequent
- intersections—high-cost accidents
- getting struck by other vehicles
- falling off trucks
- lifting/pushing—heavy/bulky trash or containers
- tip-overs while speeding when not wearing a seatbelt
- crushing (container)—maintenance issue
- lock out tag out—cleaning behind the blade, maintenance
- overhead hazards—power lines, bridges, trees
- • sharps/medwaste/chemicals
- hands and eyes hurt due to not wearing gloves and safety glasses
- weather-related incidents (ice/snow or rain)
Solid waste vehicles are also involved in accidents that cause fatalities, injuries, and property damage to third parties. There were at least 80 third-party fatalities in 2010, which was down from previous years, according to the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWA). And, OSHA discloses that “struck-by” accidents involving pedestrians struck by a moving garbage truck are frequently reported, claiming that approximately 30% of them involve backing up without adequate visibility, checking the blind sport, or issuing a warning sound. In addition, there are an estimated 15–20 more employee fatalities each year at transfer stations, landfills, and recycling facilities.
Focus on Safety
“I think safety is, and has been, a top priority for both refuse companies and manufacturers,” states Cook. Because refuse collection vehicles frequently operate in neighborhoods and congested areas, safe equipment operated by well-trained, vigilant drivers is paramount. Therefore, he says, Peterbilt’s customers are “always interested to learn of the latest truck safety technologies.”
Cook adds, “For our conventional-style vehicles, electronic stability control and other safety features are standard. We also offer a variety of optional safety equipment, such as the recently announced Bendix Wingman Fusion, which includes a suite of safety technologies, and the RollTek protection system, which integrates airbags in the driver’s seat.”
While state-of-the-art safety equipment such as airbags and roll cages can protect an operator during a crash, prevention usually focuses on driver behavior. Too often, bad decisions lead to unsafe situations and accidents. Typical bad decisions include: driver not fit for work; inadequate pre-trip checklist; speeding; no personal protective equipment, including safety belts; distracted driving (cell phone, texting, eating, etc.); and lack of communication with other employees.
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration report summarized the top 10 factors for fatal crashes involving large trucks (more than 10,000 pounds). Speeding was the most common factor.
Most organizations urge health and safety programs to educate operators about proper procedures, hazard recognition, and effective driving techniques. Developing a safety culture and implementing a training program with follow-up safety evaluations, sometimes supported by incentives, have been proven to reduce incidents. Equipment selection can also diminish accidents, starting with automated collection vehicles and lifting equipment to limit overexertion and exposure to dangerous situations.
Peterbilt’s Model 520 features a dual-station cab with two nearly identical work environments so drivers can seamlessly and safely operate the vehicle from either side of the cab. “The dual configuration allows the operator to work from the right side of the truck and enjoy an optimal view of the curbside during collection routes,” explains Cook. “The driver can then switch to the more familiar left-side cab station while driving to and from collection routes.”
The cab is also ergonomically designed to provide superior comfort and convenience, he adds, helping reduce operator fatigue and the possibility of injuries. Comfortable working conditions also help recruit and retain quality operators.
Whatever type of trucks are chosen, they should be kept in good running order. “Safety should be the first thing people think about when they think about vehicle maintenance,” emphasizes Cook. “It plays a vital role. Well-maintained trucks provide safer operation and give the operator increased peace of mind that he or she will not be put in potentially dangerous situations due to equipment breakdowns.”
A truck’s service and maintenance points should be convenient to access for service technician safety. On-board diagnostics and connected truck technologies, such as Peterbilt’s SmartLINQ, also help ensure a truck is operating at peak performance with maximum uptime, helping prevent possible out-of-service scenarios while the truck is operating.
Eyes on the Road
Providing the operator with as much visibility as possible is one of the most fundamental jobs of a vehicle manufacturer. The operator needs maximum visibility to help ensure safe vehicle operation. “It is always a priority in Peterbilt’s truck designs,” insists Cook. “The design of our new Model 520 refuse truck, for instance, includes panoramic cab views with large windshields and side windows, complemented by tri-plane, motorized mirrors. The Model 520 also features pantograph wipers that cover 27% more of the windshield for increased safety during inclement weather. This truck is available with optional LED headlamps for outstanding coverage and brightness, and can be pre-wired to help facilitate installation of external safety cameras.”
But it doesn’t matter how large the windshield is if the driver isn’t looking through it. The second most common cause of accidents is distracted or inattentive drivers—usually due to texting, cell phone use, or eating. It’s important to remain attentive behind the wheel.
A research project conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute determined that an incident is 163 times more likely to occur if the driver is distracted.
A 2010 investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of a multi-vehicle collision that killed two people and injured 38 others found that the driver of the truck that caused the accident had been texting. The NTSB then sent a strong recommendation to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to “require all heavy commercial vehicles to be equipped with video-event recorders.…”
When FMCSA conducted a similar study (with the cooperation of two large commercial trucking firms), the one with video recorders experienced a 52% reduction in the rate of safety-related events per 10,000 vehicle miles traveled, while the other experienced a 38% reduction. Due to the high rate of fatalities involving dump trucks over a 15-year period, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recommended backup alarms or other methods to warn of blind spots and cameras to enforce stopping at railway crossings.
Film at Eleven
It’s a lesson not lost on the waste industry. Working with Environmental Solutions Group, 3rd Eye Cam provides backup cameras and up to six additional cameras placed around the truck. Their purpose is to videotape what the driver does and sees, says Kyle Kummer, vice president of business development. “They record if thresholds are broken, if triggers are tripped by pot holes, hard turns, hard braking, or a collision.”
The film is then sent to the contractor, where it’s graded and incorporated into training programs. It’s used to assess the driver and change behavior if necessary. “Events get sent to a website for review,” says Kummer. “They’re looking for seatbelts, cell phones….” Storage duration depends on the customer, but most typically keep the footage a week.
Calling it a “tool to identify risky behavior,” he says the feedback can initiate an immediate change in behavior. “They get a visual verification that an event has occurred—that a threshold has been breached—maybe a bump in the road, they took a turn too fast, or a rider on the back at speeds over 30 miles per hour.” The signal allows them to modify their behavior immediately.
It also generates opportunities to reward good drivers and elect a Driver of the Month, based on scoring. “The driver’s goal is not to make the red light go off,” he points out. “You can use it to train drivers, improve safety, save money—through service verification or in response to complaints from customers about damage, like rock chips, or broken gates or fences. It allows you to reconstruct issues and get to the truth.”
It can even exonerate a falsely accused driver in a collision. It has changed the outcome of accidents, he insists, recalling one particular instance where video disproved the accusations and changed the $350,000 liability suit. Even in cases where the driver is at fault, he says it can expedite the legal process, saving time and legal fees.
Another money-saving aspect comes from the maintenance reports, which serve as both preventative and predictive care. It can be customized for fleet tracking, service intervals, ECU engine diagnostics, and more. In fact, Kummer says, camera location can be customized. “We recommend where to put cameras, but some customers want them on the arm picking up the cans.”
He says their cameras often catch illegal items in the trash and once caught a homeless person in a front loader. “They’re nice cameras—quality. They shoot 25 frames a second. Clarity is not an issue unless there’s dirt on the windscreen.”
That’s why WastePro has chosen to use them, he says. They can be used in conjunction with radio-frequency identification (RFID). “They can be integrated,” explains Kummer, adding how, he believes, they are the wave of the future. “We will use video analytics to identify issues.”
And, a lot of vehicles already have cameras, he notes. There are backup cameras and other safety equipment. Adding monitoring is just the next step, not dissimilar to radar or tire pressure monitoring. Drivers shouldn’t be concerned about “Big Brother” watching them. “Everywhere you go, you’re on camera. When you go to a CVS or Walmart, you’re on camera, when you fill up at a gas station, at every stop light—you’re on camera.”
The return on investment? Safety, he says.
Isuzu Commercial Trucks of America Inc. does safety monitoring differently. Since 2008, all diesel trucks get a health report that monitors everything: acceleration, braking, idle time, PTO, etc. The dealer prints the reports for the truck owner. “The only way to get the report is from the dealer,” clarifies Brian Tabel, executive director of marketing, adding that the “health reports separate us from everyone else.” The proprietary system comes standard on all their vehicles.
Since 2013, Isuzu has covered 60,000 miles, or two years of maintenance. The health reports encourage owners to come in for service.
“It helps lower the cost of ownership and educate drivers,” says Tabel. “For example, one owner tracked excessive fuel usage to extended idle time with the air conditioner on.”
Although he says there have been no major changes since 2008, some enhancements in reporting are evident, including the addition of more graphs. They are currently testing full-fledged telematics on 1,500 vehicles with Telegis. “We’re looking at real-time data for locating vehicles, routing [due to traffic or construction], braking, acceleration, fuel economy, and a lot more data—all live,” he says.
The daily reports could be overwhelming for some, but the information provides a “lot of education on better ways to lower costs, and how the truck works.” It also provides insights into safety issues like panic stops. Because of its Wi-Fi capabilities, its using a cellular data service, and with the initial cost plus a monthly data charge, Tabel foresees that the system could potentially replace RFID.
As for the privacy question, Tabel agrees with Kummer that “something is recorded everywhere you go. It’s hard to find good drivers. Some owners pay incentives based on fuel economy—information that can be found on our report.”