Preventing Backovers
Additional Resources
Related OSHA Pages
- Traffic Safety in Marine Terminals. OSHA Publication 3337 (2014).
- Motor Vehicle Safety. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
- Powered Industrial Trucks. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
- Prevention Video (v-Tool): Struck-by Accidents in Construction
- Work Zone Hazards Workbook. Construction Safety Council, (August 2008).
- Struck-By - Vehicles. OSHA Construction eTool.
- Trucking Industry. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
FACE Reports
- Truck Porter Dies From Head Injury Complications When He Fell From Either the ICC Bumper or Deck of a Semi-Trailer - Michigan. NIOSH, Michigan Case Report: 12MI054, (August 2015).
- Orchard Laborer Dies after Being Struck and Run Over by Dump Trailer, Washington. NIOSH, Washington Case Report: 09WA04401, (June 30, 2015).
Safety Clearinghouses
- Preventing Backovers. The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse provides links to information relating to backover incidents in highway work zones. One of the tools on this site is ROADWAY SAFETY+: A Road Construction Industry Consortium Program, which contains a module on backing safety.
Other Federal Agencies
- Preventing Worker Injuries and Deaths from Backing Construction Vehicles and Equipment at Roadway Construction Worksites. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (June 2014).
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) created diagrams of blind spots for several vehicles commonly used on construction sites. These diagrams can help operators understand what they can't see from inside the cab of their vehicle.
- Blind Spot Diagrams. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety & Health Topics.
- Construction Equipment Visibility. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Science Blog, (April 4, 2011).
- Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Security Systems Technology: Rear Object Detection Systems. North American Transportation Association.
- Development of a Performance Specification for Camera/Video Imaging Systems on Heavy Vehicles - Final Report: Supporting Research. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (July 2008).
Articles
- Fatal occupational injuries at road construction sites, 2003-7. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, (November 2010).
- Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Work Injury from Vehicles and Equipment. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-128, (April 2001).
- Construction Noise: Exposure, Effects, and the Potential for Remediation; A Review and Analysis. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal. Includes discussion of hearing protection and effectiveness of backup alarms, (November 2002).
- Internal Traffic Control Plans. Iowa State University, Institute for Transportation, (2005).
- Determination of Backup Alarm Masked Threshold in Construction Noise. Virginia Tech, (May 1, 2008)
- Evaluation of Devices to Prevent Construction Equipment Backing Incidents. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Evaluation of the Performance of Available Backover Prevention Technologies for Light Vehicles. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Evaluation of Systems to Monitor Blind Areas Behind Trucks Used in Road Construction and Maintenance: Phase 1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-113 (February 2003).
- Experimental Evaluation of the Performance of Available Backover Prevention Technologies for Medium Straight Trucks. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (November 2007).
- Hardware Evaluation of Heavy Truck Side and Rear Object Detection Systems. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Monitoring Blind Spots: A Major Concern for Haul Trucks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- NIOSH Reports! Studies on Heavy Equipment Blind Spots and Internal Traffic Control. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (November 4, 2004).
- Test Results of Collision Warning Systems for Surface Mining Dump Trucks. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (May 2000).
- Test Results of Collision Warning Systems on Off-Highway Dump Trucks: Phase 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (November 2000).
- Tests of Doppler Radar Technology for Haulage Truck Backup Alarms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (January 1, 1997).
- Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Workers Who Operate or Work Near Forklifts. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-109, (2001).
- Recommendations for Evaluating & Implementing Proximity Warning Systems on Surface Mining Equipment. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-146, (June 2007).
- Vehicle Motion Alarms: Necessity, Noise Pollution, or Both? Environmental Health Perspectives, (January 2011).
- Preventing Worker Injuries and Deaths From Moving Refuse Collection Vehicles. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-110, (1997).
- Vehicle Backing Safety FactSheet. The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation, (September 2007).
Vehicles Causing the Most Backover Fatalities 2005-2010+
| Dump Truck | 67 |
|---|---|
| Semi/Tractor Trailer | 40 |
| Truck | 30 |
| Forklift | 21 |
| Garbage Truck | 20 |
| Pick-up Truck | 16 |
+OSHA Integrated Management Information System data
Click On Image for A More Detailed View.
NIOSH Blind Spot Diagram
