NIOSH Hazard ID, HID 14 - fire fighter deaths from tanker truck rollovers.
Source
Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-111, (HID 14) 2001 Dec; :1-4
Abstract
Mobile water supply vehicles, known as tankers or tenders, are widely used to transport water to areas beyond a water supply system or where the water supply is inadequate. Incidents involving motor vehicles account for approximately 20% of U.S. fire fighter deaths each year; cases involving tankers are the most prevalent of these motor vehicle incidents. During 1977-1999, 73 deaths occurred in 63 crashes involving tankers. Of those deaths, 54 occurred in 49 crashes in which tankers rolled over (no collision), and 8 occurred in 6 crashes in which the tankers left the road (no collision). The other cases involved collision with another vehicle (10 deaths in 7 crashes) and collision with stationary object(s) (1 death) [NFPA 2000]. Tanker drivers may not be fully aware that tanker trucks are more difficult to control than passenger vehicles. A tanker truck requires a much greater distance to stop. Tankers weigh substantially more, and their air brake systems take more time to activate than the hydraulic/mechanical brake systems on smaller passenger cars. The effect is influenced by the amount of water the tanker is hauling and whether the tanker is baffled.
Keywords
Fire-fighting; Fire-fighting-equipment; Water-industry; Transportation; Transportation-industry; Transportation-workers; Transport-mechanisms; Materials-transport; Mortality-data; Motor-vehicles; Drivers; Hydraulic-equipment; Accident-prevention; Automotive-industry; Injury-prevention
Document Type
Numbered Publication; Hazard ID
Identifying No.
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-111; HID-14
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
