Hospitalization Hazard
Falls From Elevation While Tarping
February 2022
SHARP
Safety & Health Assessment &
Research for Prevention
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Truck driver fractures both arms in fall while tarping load
An experienced truck driver was tarping a tall load on a flatbed trailer in
his employer's yard with another worker. Tarping was not an everyday task
for the workers. They used a work platform attached to a forklift to gain
access to the top of the load to make sure the corners of the plastic tarp were
not snagged.
The truck driver moved off of the work platform and onto the top of the
load to fix the tarp while the other worker operated the forklift. As he
walked across the load, he fell off.
He struck the flatbed trailer before hitting the ground, landing on his
elbows. The fall was more than twelve feet.
The driver suffered multiple fractures to both arms and a dislocated right
elbow. He required surgery to repair the fractures.
Truck driver falls from trailer ladder while freeing stuck tarp
An experienced truck driver started his shift around 5 a.m. His job was
delivering bark and wood products with a semi-truck and trailer. The
trailer had an open top with a manual side roll tarp to cover it.
At around 5:30 a.m., the driver was closing the tarp with the manual hand
crank when it became stuck. He climbed a fixed ladder on the front of the
trailer located between the cab of the truck and the trailer to free the tarp.
From the ladder, he tried to shake the tarp free. His hand slipped off of the
slick tarp and he fell more than eight feet to the ground. He first landed on
his feet before falling on his back. He was unable to get off the ground.
A loader operator found the driver on the ground after approximately
twenty minutes. The loader operator called the manager, who called 911.
The driver was taken to the hospital for trauma care. He suffered multiple
fractures in his back, ribs and tail bone. He needed surgery to repair the
fractures and spent time in an inpatient rehabilitation facility for recovery.
Falls from elevation are a leading cause of work-related hospitalizations in Washington's Transportation
and Warehousing industry.
Tarping a load can pose risks for falls, but these injuries can be prevented! Proper tarp training, a developed
Accident Prevention Plan, three points of contact on ladders, and an updated Job Hazard Analysis are key to
prevent falls while tarping.
Incident 1: The truck and tr ailer involved
in incident . The driver fel l off of the ladder
on the fro nt of the trailer.
Incident 1: T he manual crank handle used
to move th e tarp. The drive r used this
handle unt il the tarp became s tuck.
Incident 2 : The trailer and load i n the
photo are s imilar to the trai ler and load
in the second i ncident where the t ruck
driver fe ll from the top of t he load.
