Related: Truck Netting 

Head trauma and broken necks are just two of the many injuries that can occur from falling off a flatbed truck. Due to the size of a flatbed truck, serious injuries will occur if the appropriate safety measures are not put in place to eliminate the risk of a fall.

A well-designed fall protection solution will help make drivers feel much safer on the job in addition to saving your company time and money. Safety hazards are specific to each different work site. Therefore, it is essential to conduct an in-depth analysis of your current flatbed protection measures and work closely with a vendor to determine the most suitable solution.

The safety challenges associated with flatbed trucks can lead to hospital bills, lawsuits and worker downtime. To protect employees and reduce business risk, three important factors need to be understood.

The three most prominent factors that increase the risk of a fall occurring are as follows:

Loads that are irregular in shape. Flatbed trucks are commonly used to transport loads that will not fit in a van and need to be loaded from the top or side by crane. Examples of this would belong pieces of steel, machinery or piles of wood, which increases the hazard of climbing on the flatbed’s trailer.
Restricted workspace. When flatbed trucks are parked next to each other with little space between them it makes it very hard for employees to secure or tarp flatbed loads. Thus increasing the risk of injury.
Unbalanced or slippery surfaces. When safer alternatives are not present, employees have to walk on top of the flatbed truck to secure precious cargo. There are many risks associated with this such as, tripping or slipping on uneven or wet surfaces. Tarping the flatbed load is the most dangerous activity that drivers face. This is because workers must walk all over a load while trying to position a heavy tarp.

Many challenges are encountered when loading and unloading products off flatbed trucks. The presence of truck netting is crucial to ensure employee’s safety when the above risk factors are present.