Welcome to Safety Watch, a newsletter that provides an update on current loss-control regulatory and technical issues.

CONTENTS

Beware when driving near large trucks (cover page)

Employees' off-the-job injuries can be very costly to employers

Online training can help streamline your operations

Methods for selecting proper hearing protectors

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Large trucks have many disadvantages compared to passenger vehicles: They are much less maneuverable, they have large blind spots, they make wider turns and they can’t stop as fast as passenger vehicles. So to ensure your safety, extra care needs to be taken when driving near a large truck.

Cover story

Beware when driving near large trucks

Thousands die every year as a result of large trucks colliding with passenger vehicles

by Sherry Coiner
Safety Management Solutions

Nearly 5,000 people are killed on the road each year in collisions involving large trucks.

Seventy-five percent of those fatalities are not occupants of the truck, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.

And here’s the part that wakes up most passenger-car drivers: almost 70 percent of passenger car/truck collisions are caused by the driver of the car, not the truck driver.

Passenger-car drivers tend to think of trucks as overgrown cars. In reality, trucks are much less maneuverable than cars.

Truck drivers can’t stop quickly, nor can they easily swerve. They often have to make wide turns from the center lane and, even with their big mirrors, they have deep blind spots, making it difficult to see the traffic around them, particularly smaller vehicles.

Tips for driving near trucks

Fortunately, you can learn to safely coexist on the road with the big rigs. Here’s how to avoid trouble:

• Never tailgate a truck. The driver can’t see you and you can’t see what’s ahead of the truck.

• Avoid a truck’s blind spots. Remember, if you can’t see the driver in the truck’s mirrors, the driver can’t see you!

• In city traffic, if a truck moves left, be very careful about passing it on the right. The truck may be preparing for a wide right turn (the driver will usually signal left, then right).

• When you pass a truck, be certain you can see the truck’s entire cab in your rearview mirror before pulling back into the truck’s lane. This will allow a safe distance between your vehicle and the truck under normal driving conditions.

Understanding a truck drivers’ limitations and employing these simple suggestions can help you safely coexist on the road and avoid being seriously injured or — worse yet — killed as a result of an accident with a large truck.

For more information or assistance regarding this topic, please contact:

Tony Zoia, MS, CSP
NATLSCO Risk and Safety Services
Phone: 800-323-9585, ext. 5379
Fax: 847-726-5271
E-mail: azoia@us.bureauveritas.com