Fall Protection Industry Solutions for Trucking and Transportation

Trucking applications typically require fall protection because of the overall height of the vehicles. The average height of an eighteen-wheeler, for instance, is nearly 14 feet. This height far exceeds OSHA’s four-foot height requirement for fall protection in general industry. Tanker trucks, flatbeds, platforms, semi-trailers, buses, garbage trucks, and fire trucks will (generally) require fall protection by law. These kinds of trucks can be hazardous to workers who have to climb atop them to load and unload products or oil and perform inspections and maintenance work. Furthermore, many of these jobs are performed outdoors, and inclement weather can increase fall hazards drastically.

Inverted-L (Freestanding Monorail) Fall Protection Systems 

Inverted-L fall protection systems are designed to protect workers who need to access the tops of vehicles, railcars, and structures. However, they are a great option for the transportation industry. These systems use concrete foundations to cover long spans. They can be customized with cantilevers to provide additional coverage and an easy and reliable way for workers to protect themselves at height. They are a great option when you need fall protection to cover a truck loading/unloading area that is adjacent to a building or structure. The system’s long span and high height extend the track above trucks to provide a single path of coverage for workers.

The Inverted-L consists of a single freestanding column topped with a header. The single header is perfect for areas without a lot of ground space. The system itself can support up to four workers at the same time. The standard trolley-hook height for an Inverted-L system is 22 feet, which is well above the average height for tanker trucks (at nearly 14 feet). For trucks that need increased trolley-hook height, custom heights are an excellent option. Column spaces can reach distances up to 50 feet, leaving a lot of space between columns and providing companies with a cost-effective method to protect workers at height.

Inverted-U (Freestanding Monorail) Fall protection Systems 

Inverted-U fall protection systems are a perfect solution to protect workers performing maintenance checks and inspections on transportation equipment and machinery. The system provides an easy fall protection solution to protect workers without slowing them down. It boasts long spans in areas that lack an overhead structure for a mounted system. The Inverted-U may require concrete foundations, but they are much smaller than the foundations required by other freestanding systems like the Inverted-L and T-Frame.

The inverted-U frame consists of two columns with a single support beam. Standard trolley-hook heights for Inverted-U systems are higher than Inverted-L systems at 26 feet, with standard bridge spans between two and 12 feet. Column spaces on this system are also 50 feet for the track, which fits on flatbed trucks without a permit. The inverted-U fall protection system is also a cost-effective method to protect up to four workers at a time, thereby increasing productivity with little to no downtime.

Check out our case study page for more information about industry solutions for the trucking and transportation industry!