Erie, PA Legal Blog

Truck fleet owners in Pennsylvania and across the US are adding new safety tech to their vehicles, but this in itself is not enough. Many truckers are actually disabling or manipulating the devices, perhaps out of distrust for the technology or a desire to act recklessly without anyone knowing it. They have learned many methods through YouTube videos.

Truckers can learn how to disable the steering-wheel sensor, unplug the speakers and cut the wires to the in-cab camera. They may slide a business card behind the camera so that it does not record their actions. They may push in the lane departure warning switch and stick paper down into it. They may tamper with the radar by lining the covering with aluminum foil.

Pennsylvania workers could be at risk of a serious injury accident. Some types of workplace incidents are more common than others. Liberty Mutual tracked some of the most frequent ones. The most common cause was overexertion, causing $13.11 billion in medical bills and other costs. The second most common cause was a fall on the same level, while the third most frequent way people were hurt at work was by being struck by equipment or another object.

Falling to a lower level, roadway incidents and motor vehicle accidents and slip or trip injuries were some of the other most common workplace accidents. Repetitive motion can always lead to serious injuries, as can being compressed between objects or struck against equipment. In total, the top 10 most disabling workplace accidents and injuries cost $46.93 billion each year. The study also examined the most common problems in specific industries. For example, construction workers were most likely to suffer severe injuries after falling to a lower level, and next most likely to be struck by an object. On the other hand, professional services workers were most likely to fall on the same level.

When workers in Pennsylvania operate asphalt plants, they may be at risk of catastrophic workplace accidents and injuries. In one case, a serious incident was caused by a fire and explosion that took place after diesel was used to clean the asphalt tank. In this case, a man opened a valve to allow a 55-gallon drum of diesel fuel and began the cleaning process.

After the cleaning began, the plant operator started the asphalt pump but saw a puff of smoke and then a severe explosion. The explosion engulfed the man spraying diesel in flames; it likely would have been fatal if not for a water truck making the rounds and directing a stream of water at the injured man on the ground and extinguishing the blaze. The man who had been spraying diesel was severely burned throughout his body, and while he survived, the workplace injury ended his career; he received disability for the rest of his life.

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminder has been issued to employers in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country to protect workers from the effects of being exposed to carbon monoxide. This is in reaction to a number of incidents that emphasize the need to instruct workers and employers about the carbon monoxide exposure dangers caused by the use of portable generators and other tools inside of enclosed areas.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is odorless and colorless, and workers and employers should be able to recognize the indications of being overexposed. Typical carbon monoxide overexposure symptoms may include dizziness, nausea, tightness across the chest, headaches, drowsiness and vomiting. People who suffer from severe overexposure of the gas can experience neurological damage, become comatose or die.