Wood Fibre Hauling Safety Group Incorporating Auto-Tarping Solutions To Reduce Injuries

Mar 2, 2021 - 4 years ago

The industry-led, Wood Fibre Hauling Safety Group (WFHSG) has been established to find solutions to mitigate workplace injuries and fatalities in the wood fibre hauling industry.

The WFHSG brings forward issues, develops safety initiatives and supports projects to reduce the risk to workers in the sector. One ongoing key initiative for the group is reducing tarping- related injuries. According to a 2016 FP Innovations study, 60% of driver injuries are attributed to tarping.

In October 2019, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) issued a variance in Compliance Circular No. 06-19 for new length allowances available for automatic (‘auto- tarp’) devices intended to reduce worker injuries. With this support, WFHSG members have actively engaged to find solutions to mitigate the risk of tarping- related injuries, several of which are now being ‘piloted’ by members of the group.

Matt Cook, Director Health Safety and Environment for Arrow comments “Arrow is committed to ensuring we reduce the number of injuries caused by tarping loads to our employees. Arrow has chosen the Tycrop E-Cargo system which is now installed on all new trailers leaving the Tycrop manufacturing facility in Chilliwack. Currently this system is installed on six B-trains with an additional 15 set for delivery by the end of 2020. So far, the system is working very well. It’s easy to use and has run flawlessly.”

M4 President Paul Manwaring reports six Shur-co auto-tarp systems have now been installed on 53’ shuffle floor vans. “We had to modify the tops of the trailers to help contain some of the finer white fiber we transport, but otherwise they’ve been working well. The auto-tarp system is fully operated from the ground with hydraulic levers, so they are a safer system to use. The biggest outcome for us is we’ve had NO INJURED DRIVERS from tarp pulling since using the auto-tarp system.”

In July 2018, Excel Transportation ordered their first 53’ smooth flow trailer with a flip auto-tarp. Within one year, they had 14 more 53’ flip auto-tarps. Safety Director, Dave Stearns noted “In May 2019, we installed a Valid Manufacturing Tarp on a regular length B-Train. It tested very well for our northern conditions. We then ordered an extended length B-train with a different auto-tarping system in late in 2019. It also worked but we had a few issues with the way the load humps in the trailer. We tested three different types of tarps to determine which system worked best. We concluded the Valid Manufacturing Tarp was the most effective for us. We are now testing another Valid Manufacturing tarp on a 53” smooth flow trailer. So far it is working well, and we have now partnered with Valid to finish tarping our fleet.

Several other members of the WFHSG have initiated auto-tarping systems into their fleets. “As a low margin industry, auto- tarping can put financial strain on trucking companies. It is important to recognize that although there is a substantial cost for auto-tarping at the front-end with added repair and maintenance costs for more moving parts, the benefits far outweigh the initial expenditure over the long run.” says Annie Horning, CEO Excel Group of Companies. “Our main goal is to reduce driver injuries and keep our drivers safe. With the reduction in physical constraints the auto-tarps provide, we will reduce lost time for injuries and also tap into a larger driver pool since more drivers stay injury- free. It’s the right thing to do, not just for our employees, but also for our business.”

To learn more about the Wood Fibre Hauling Safety Group, visit https://www.bcforestsafe.org/node/2910.

Source: BC Forest Safety Council