Speaker: Danny Cain, Safety/Risk Manager, Edwards Moving & Rigging

1. Danny Cain
Director of Safety/Risk Management

2. Course Objectives
• Identify potential hazards with night transports
• Identify measures to mitigate one’s exposure to
these hazards
• Lessons learned
• Best practices

3. So Why Night Transports?
• Issuance of permits is often matter of convenience
• Reduces impact on day time commuter traffic
• Often there are construction restrictions during day
• Transport support availability – police & utility support
• Road closures which may be required for lane crossovers
• Last minute permit changes from various municipalities

4. Frequently Encountered Night Transport
Hazards
• Employee fatigue
• Slowed reaction time
• Poor visibility for both transport crew & motorists
• Decreased visibility increases potential for trips, falls, runovers, back
overs and equipment strikes

5. Frequently Encountered Night Transport
Hazards
• Bright work lights produce glare – transport crew & public
• Transporter configurations – hazards associated with the types used,
overall length, maneuverability of trailer sections, lack of machine
guards & railings, etc.

6. Frequently Encountered Night Transport
Hazards
• Traffic control measures reduced
• Lower traffic volume at night results in higher speeds
• Increased truck traffic on roadways
• Workers are less visible
• Alcohol, drug impaired, drowsy drivers

7. Night Hazards – Impaired Drivers!

8. Frequently Encountered Night Transport
Hazards
Limited visibility increases chance of
going off route & striking objects
Transport driver’s
maneuverability & reaction time
reduced
Road conditions can abruptly
change during transport

9. Frequently Encountered Night Transport
Hazards
Increased Exposure to Focus Four Hazards with Crew Members:
Caught-In-Between Hazards
Struck-By Hazards
Fall Hazards
Electrocution Hazards

10. Question for Audience?
Fatigued employees pose a high risk of injury on night transports.
What countermeasures can a company take to reduce this risk?

11. Employee Fatigue
Circadian clock or “body clock” is affected by environmental cues such as
sunlight & temperature.
Being fatigued creates a risk for anyone who undertakes an activity that
requires concentration and a quick response.
Recognizable signs to look for include:
Glazed Eyes
Slurred Speech
Dragging Feet
Slower-than-usual movement
Slow reaction time
Inability to follow or comprehend instructions
Falling asleep

12. Countering Employee Fatigue
All Companies should have an “Hours Worked Policy” which clearly spells
out number of hours allowed to work before mandatory rest period.
• Requires mandatory time off before coming on duty
• Ensure your transport crew has had adequate rest during day
• Conduct a fatigue assessment on all transport members prior to start of
night transport
• NEVER allow crew to work double shifts
• Upon completion of transport, your policy should prohibit employees
from driving long distances to return home

13. Darkness –
Poor Visibility & Slowed Reaction
• Limited amount of ambient light which only projects
upward & outward
• Ambient light glare impedes vision of driver’s use of
mirrors
• Increased “blind spots” for
drivers
• Lights cast shadows
increasing potential for slip,
trips & falls

14. Darkness –
Poor Visibility & Slowed Reaction
• Time to seek emergency “safe
harbor” for emergency vehicles is
hindered
• Boarding & deboarding
transporter with poor lighting
increases risk of slips, trips & falls

15. Darkness –
Poor Visibility & Slowed Reaction
• Strobe lights enhance the potential with seizures for personnel subject to
photosensitive epilepsy
• Reduced reaction time to slow down for overhead hazards such as
overhead lines, traffic signals, etc.

16. Darkness –
Poor Visibility & Slowed Reaction
• Visual identification of roadway obstructions is reduced and delayed
• Increases “last second” reactions to oncoming hazards which lead to
accidents
• Support personnel in bucket
trucks have reduced visibility

17. Darkness –
Poor Visibility with Overhead Hazards

18. Hazards Associated with Traffic Control
• Reaction time of oncoming traffic is slowed when seeking a safe pull off area
• General public usually ignores pilot car lights –use police
• Support vehicles should be fully equipped & easily identifiable

19. Hazards Associated with Traffic Control

20. Transport Configuration Hazards
• Navigating sharp turns or crossovers is greatly reduced based on
overall length of transporter
• Reaction time of drivers is reduced at night
• “Snake Like” maneuvers of trailer poses increased risk of exposure
to ground crews including Struck-By and Caught-In-Between
hazards
• With reduced visibility, communicating route obstructions is
delayed

21. Transport Configuration Hazards

22. Transport Configuration Hazards
• NEVER allow personnel to take short cuts by walking through or under
transporter while it’s in motion –STOP or have worker go around
• Transport crew must always maintain “Situational Awareness” to prevent being
in “line of fire” or entrapped between moving & fixed objects

23. Transport Configuration Hazards

24. Safety Features of Transporter
• Company’s should have procedure in place to conduct thorough assessment of
all new equipment
• Ensure machine guard devices are in place especially around moving
components
• Provide secured areas using catwalks/railing system

25. Safety Features of Transporter
• All steps should be designed with slip resistant material
• Ensure that all deck openings are properly protected & covered
• Components that hydraulically extend & retract should be clearly posted
with DANGER signs to warn crew

26. Road Condition Hazards
• Assess oncoming weather conditions prior to start of transport – don’t
take chances -know the projected forecast
• Develop “Go – No Go” Criteria for transport
• Once decision is made to transport load there is no turning back
• As weather conditions change during night, road surfaces can cause
transporter to lose traction
• Underpasses that are shaded during the day will likely freeze up more
quickly

27. Pre-Trip & Post Trip Safety Briefing

28. Transport Crew Preparation
• Job Briefing – Identify Responsibilities of all crew members
• Empowerment – Everyone has Authority to STOP
transport if something looks unsafe or when someone
is unsure
• Regroup and formulate mitigation plan
• When in DOUBT call TIME
OUT!!
• Establish means of
communication. Messages
limited to transport issues
ONLY!

29. Transport Safety Considerations
“Working safely may get old,
but so do those who practice it!”
• Careful & detailed planning
• Develop comprehensive Task Hazard Analysis
THA Components:
• KNOW the route- ride the route
•Address all transport work scope activities
•Identify hazards associated with this work
• Mitigation plan for each identified hazard
• Establish clear channels of communication
• Ensure that all members know traffic
control plans
• Emergency preparedness plan

30. Traveling at Night

31. Turning Obstruction Hazards

32. Personal Protective Equipment
For Night Transports
•High visibility vests – Class 3
•Head/Helmet lights
•Hi-Vis gloves
•Hi-Vis rain gear
•Flashlights with front
& downward beams
•FR coveralls with
Hi-Vis stripes
• LED lights
• Hi-Vis traffic cones
• Hi-Vis reflective tape

33. Lessons Learned
Continuous Safety Improvement
• Near miss reporting – “ a we got lucky” incident
• Review of industry best practices
• Review of previous projects with highest injury & illness rates
• Work tasks in which one simple human error could lead to a
severe accident or injury

34. Lessons Learned
• Work tasks in which one simple human error could lead to a severe accident
or injury
• Projects which are new to your operation or have undergone changes in
processes and procedures
• Work tasks or use of equipment that are first time initiatives
• Learn from both mistakes as well as triumphs
“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers

35. Questions?

36. Contact Information
Danny Cain, Director of Safety/Risk Management
Edwards Moving & Rigging, Inc.
Cell Phone: 502 296-0144
Email: danny@edwardsmoving.com