Accidents are prevalent in the logging industry, which is an extremely risky vocation.
Some logging dangers are related to the tools loggers use, while others are related to the working environment. These two factors may pose major hazards to loggers.
Because of these dangers, key safety requirements must be observed, and logging instruments must be safe and effective.
The country’s wood sector fuels the economy by transporting newly cut lumber to sawmills and processing companies. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics statistics, nearly 10,000 full-time lumber truck drivers work in the US logging sector, generating almost twenty billion dollars in income each year.
Every year, hundreds of disastrous logging truck wrecks hurt and kill innocent people due to underpaid and overworked truck drivers trying to deliver their goods on time.
Logging Is a Strictly Controlled Industry
Congress tightly monitors the logging business via numerous government organizations, notably the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
When keeping the wood logs from sliding off the trailer, logging trucks must be outfitted with anchors, bolsters, bunks, and standards. The safety components need to be built or engineered to bear every expected operating error without failure, irreversible deformation, or unintentional release.
When towed with a crib-type log trailer, the truck’s tie-downs need to be secured using a combination of stakes, bolsters, and bunks. The banded lumber must be loaded tightly so that the wood at the bottom of the trailer connects securely.
Lumber can’t be loaded if the log extends more than one-third of its length past the trailer’s final supporting structure.
What Are the Driver Qualifications in the Logging Industry?
A written exam and a ride-along/road test are required to get a forestry trucker’s license.
Each candidate must have graduated high school (or equivalent education), a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and a current Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
Before allowing a newly hired logging trucker to drive, the FMCSA directs trucking firms to contact the trucker’s prior employers and confirm that the company’s insurance companies accept the newly recruited driver’s motor vehicle record.
If the new worker has a clean driving record, the company may ask them to pass a drug test and obtain medical clearance.
Log truck drivers must do daily checks to uncover any issues that might lead to deadly accidents, such as inspecting the steering system, tires, air hoses, locking mechanisms, and brakes.
Every day, a lumber trucker must keep records and inspect and empty pressurized air tanks for condensation. Truckers must also adhere to strict safety measures when parking, loading, and unloading.
What Are the Logging Truck Crash Statistics?
According to 2019 research, deadly logging truck crashes have risen dramatically (more than 40%) over the past decade.
When lumber trucks follow too closely behind other cars, the data analysis found that log-carrying drivers were more likely to die in a crash than logging personnel.
In March of last year, a man was killed in South Carolina after crashing into a truck delivering lumber. After coming to a halt, a tractor-trailer wood truck hit a Chevrolet Trailblazer driving through an intersection, flipping and spreading massive logs on the highway, killing the SUV’s driver.
After a logging trucker crashed into a van, the roadway in North Carolina was stopped for hours as cleaning personnel retrieved debris. The individual in the vehicle who suffered a head injury died on the spot.
Logging Truck Wrecks Can Be Catastrophic
According to data, the average age of logging trucks involved in a deadly truck and automobile collision was thirteen. Some older trucks were not built with contemporary safety advances to avoid losing control while transporting large loads.
Many vehicles involved in accidents exhibited visible defects, making them susceptible to mechanical breakdown.
The following are common issues with older lumber trucks:
- Rollovers due to driving at high speeds;
- Utilizing ineffective braking tactics; and
- Moving inadequately loaded goods.
Jackknifing may occur when a lumber transport truck swerves into the opposite lane or slips on slippery roadways, resulting in several vehicle pileups.
Other frequent causes of logging truck crashes include the following:
- Flying debris: In the event of a catastrophic catastrophe involving accidents with logging trucks, the banded wood might be broken, spilling it into the path of other cars;
- Flat tires: The hefty cargo of a loaded lumber trailer driving at high speeds may cause a deadly tire blowout, forcing the driver to lose control;
- Failure of equipment: Lack of regular upkeep on older lumber trucks and trailers may result in catastrophic situations that endanger the driver and other vehicles; and
- Collisions: Failure to utilize warning signs and reflective tape may result in tragic wrecks that injure and kill innocent people.
What Factors Contribute to Logging Truck Wrecks?
Log trucks are more unsafe than other commercial trucks transporting hefty loads. Lumber loaders place logs on trailer beds and secure them using straps, bands, and chains.
Any change in the truckload might cause an uneven cargo load, increasing the rollover rate or causing the cargo to loosen, sending wood and debris into the highway. Logging truck drivers who travel on twisting country roads are more likely to lose control.
The most common cause of logging crashes is negligence. Among these contributing considerations are the following:
- Driver exhaustion;
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
- Driver mistake;
- Failure to obey traffic restrictions while passing passenger cars and other vehicles;
- Cargo that was improperly loaded;
- Inadequate safety features;
- Blind areas in which the trucker fails to notice other vehicles while changing lanes or merging;
- Overburdened cargo;
- Speeding as a result of road and weather circumstances;
- Tire problems;
- A failure to maintain;
- Failure to use reflective tape and other warning signs;
- Failure to adequately train truck drivers;
- Longer freight loads; and
- Unstable cargo in which wood or other goods fly from the bed of the trailer.
Other careless log truckers may have also contributed to the wreck. In many incidents, the opposing motorist violated traffic regulations by stopping too quickly or being unable to manage difficult traffic circumstances.
What Are Some of the Dangers of Logging Equipment?
Chainsaws, logging machines, and other forestry equipment are all very hazardous. They may cause significant damage no matter where they are used if they are abused, inadequately maintained, or malfunctioning.
If your employer is aware of workplace risks but fails to address them, they may be in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).
In addition, if you are hurt due to a faulty tool, you may be able to file a product liability claim against the manufacturer.
What Are Some of the Hazards of the Workplace?
Uneven or unstable terrain, terrible weather conditions (such as rain, snow, severe cold, and winds), and isolated work locations distant from hospitals and other medical care facilities are some of the risks of the logging environment.
OSHA requires your employer to guarantee that your workplace is hazard-free and that any existing risks are rectified.
Do I Need a Lawyer if I’ve Been Injured in a Logging Accident?
If your injury was caused by a faulty tool, you might be eligible to bring a product liability claim against the tool’s manufacturer.
If you were hurt on the job due to a hazard that your employer failed to notify you of or seek to correct, you might have a claim against your employer under OSHA.
Additionally, you may report a workplace danger via OSHA.
An experienced workplace injury lawyer can advise you on the best course of action to take and assist you in obtaining the desired results.
