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April 2002
NIOSH Warning: Fire Fighter Deaths from Tanker Truck
Rollovers
STEPS TO PREVENT FIRE FIGHTER DEATHS
IN TRUCK ROLLOVERS RECOMMENDED BY NIOSH
A new bulletin
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends steps to protect
fire fighters from fatal injuries resulting from tanker truck rollovers.
From 1977 to
1999, 73 fire fighters died of injuries after their trucks went out of control
and rolled over, NIOSH reports in the document, “NIOSH
Hazard ID: Fire Fighter Deaths from Tanker Truck Rollovers.” From an
analysis of the incidents, NIOSH found that a number of factors may contribute
to the risk of rollovers. For example, tanker trucks’ size, weight,
configuration, and braking systems make them more difficult to control than
passenger vehicles.
Among other
recommendations developed with assistance from outside specialists in fire
fighting and emergency vehicle safety, NIOSH suggests that:
• Fire departments
should develop, implement, and enforce standard operating procedures for
emergency vehicles, including requirements for providing and using seat belts.
• Fire departments
should inspect and maintain tankers according to state and federal motor vehicle
regulations, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommended
standards.
• Fire departments
should verify that vehicles are properly designed, ensure that their fully
loaded weight does not exceed chassis and axle weight ratings, and ensure that
water tanks are properly mounted and are properly baffled to control the
movement of the water they contain.
• Tanker truck
drivers should wear their seat belts, take training to meet NFPA requirements,
and follow the training with refresher courses at least twice a year.
Tanker trucks
require much more stopping distance than automobiles, and their air brake
systems take longer to activate than the hydraulic/mechanical brake systems on
cars, NIOSH notes in the bulletin. The amount of water in the tank and whether
the tank is baffled also affect the amount of control the driver has over the
truck.
The NIOSH Hazard
ID also includes two case studies of fatal rollover incidents, drawn from
NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Program. Under this program, NIOSH
investigates incidents in which fire fighters died in the line of duty,
identifies factors involved in the deaths, and issues findings and
recommendations to prevent similar deaths and injuries in the future.
“NIOSH
Hazard ID: Fire Fighter Deaths from Tanker Truck Rollovers,” DHHS (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2002-111, is available by calling the NIOSH toll-free
information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674). It also is available on the
NIOSH Web page at www.cdc.gov/niosh
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