Safety in and around collection and transfer vehicles means protecting crews and the public. Trends suggest the industry is poised to move beyond mechanical interlocks to more ergonomic and electronically sophisticated vehicles.

By Penelope Grenoble O'Malley

"We've taken the driver from being a garbage man to an equipment operator," says Rob Strange, western regional refuse manager for McNeilus Companies in Los Angeles, CA. For solid waste managers, both challenge and opportunity lie therein.

As Strange suggests, recent trends in the solid waste industry have focused on what he describes as a movement toward "interlock driver error," resulting in more and more complicated vehicles that force managers into a constantly shifting equation among safety, cost, and productivity. Add to this a host of add-ons - from video cameras to object detection systems - that further complicate pinpointing where safety and cost intersect. The good news is that smart electronics, such as International's Diamond Logic multiplex electrical system, that make it possible to automate a range of safety functions are waiting in the wings. In the meantime more emphasis is being put on making solid waste crews more comfortable.

The Integrated Roll-Off truck comes standard with Diamond Logic, which improves safety by not allowing the truck to move more than 8 mph while the hoist is raised.

Glenn Pochocki of Crane Carrier Company in Tulsa, OK, thinks there's been too much focus on the mechanical aspects of vehicles and not enough attention given to the importance of ergonomics, including cab configuration, visibility, and access to controls. Among the problems Pochocki sees ergonomic reforms addressing are operator fatigue from climbing in and out of high-sitting cabs, injuries from slipping down access steps, and muscle strain from repetitive control operation.

"The body manufacturers have done a great job in the last six or eight years adjusting their designs to some of the OSHA requirements and making things better for our employees," says Joe Williams, director of solid waste for the City of Franklin, TN, and former certified safety manager for BFI. "But the fact of the matter is there's no way to create a completely safe garbage truck as long as there's a human being involved. You can ask for anything you want, but a 60,000-pound garbage truck is a dangerous thing."

Pochocki thinks one way to make the human a safer operator is to design better equipment - in this case, Crane Carrier's long history of building low-cab-forward vehicles. At 7-18 in. off the ground, they are the lowest in the industry. "Jumping in and out of the cab 100 times or more a day and climbing two to four steps every time is very fatiguing versus taking one step in and planting your seat in the chair." Pochocki also recommends bifolding or sliding doors that stay open when crew members leave the vehicle as "an absolute must" for rearloaders and manual sideloaders. Also available are Crane's Mansaver, a spring-loaded, flip-up, fold-down padded bar that holds the operator in place; an integrated backup camera system, including a wireless option; and electric mirrors for quick and easy adjustment.

Crane was one of the first to make a low cab forward, but Autocar Truck LLC is back in production with what Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mike Popovich describes as its low-cab-over engine vehicle, which he insists is a frontline weapon in the war against rising workers' compensation claims. Popovich also cited the vehicle's high roll stability suspension, factory-installed backup alarms, prewiring for video cameras, and right-hand-drive steer to reduce risk when the operator gets in and out of the truck. He also points out that the company's drop-frame configuration makes it possible to lower the center of gravity of a vehicle without requiring a change to smaller tires. "This means that vehicles are less likely to roll at higher speeds," says Popovich, "but we also have some body manufacturers, and end users spec it because it's easier for crews to operate at waist height." Next up is a new cab configuration that will give the operator and passengers more room; it will be available in February 2004.

Sterling Truck Corporation's low-cab-forward Condor model also adds more room in the cab with an option for what Product Manager Steve Little calls "ample three-person seating." As with all low-cab-forward vehicle manufacturers, Little talks about better access, visibility, and maneuverability; a 45º wheel cut in both directions, even given the 20,000-lb. front end; and a telescoping steering column that comes standard. On the client end, Williams says the last two sideloaders he has purchased have been Condors. "With the big windows they look a little bug-eyed, but they offer a better line of vision." Little also reports that Sterling has replaced its old business-class FL 50-80 series with a new M2 106 product line. The new snub-nosed vehicles have a low-profile dash, which enables the driver to see down and to the right. A 50º wheel cut adds to the maneuverability. "We've seen more and more concern about drivers having to back and fill, back and fill to get around tight spots," says Little. "It's a whole lot better if you can just take the corner without having to back up at all. You're not going to hit anything that way."

Backing up continues to be an industrywide concern, and manufacturers and independent vendors are offering options. According to Houston Ratledge, corporate product manager at Heil Environmental Industries in Chattanooga, TN, video cameras have become standard among the big national accounts, but this leaves a significant segment of the industry to get up to speed. Black-and-white cameras are the most popular, and Ratledge feels that in low light they are preferable. However, Heil will also fill requests for color cameras.

Intec camera and monitor system

Intec Video Systems Inc. in Laguna Hills, CA, markets a line of video cameras called Car Vision that can be customized for one- to three-camera systems. "The camera is hooked up so when you put the vehicle in reverse gear you automatically view the rear of the vehicle," says Marketing Director John Lovejoy. "On an automated side-loading vehicle, you also have a camera on the side that is automatically triggered by the function of the arm and often a camera watching the hopper so the operator can see the content of the can when it's emptied. This is particularly effective with commercial accounts [so] operators can check that a customer isn't dumping something they're not supposed to. We also just recently introduced video recording, which works well with the hopper camera, particularly when you want to be able to document what your customers are dumping." Lovejoy prices a top-of-the-line three-camera setup with a switcher at about $3,500.

"Statistics indicate the main cause of injury is backing over the spotter, so if you can move that person out of the way or give the driver his own view, it's a great benefit for crew safety," Lovejoy points out. "The problem is if the person you're counting on behind your vehicle doesn't hear the alarm for some reason or if they ignore it, you could still injure them. With a video camera you're making the driver responsible, and since he's piloting the vehicle, this puts the responsibility in the cab, where it should be."

Besides truck manufacturers, a range of independents is also direct-marketing backup warning devices to the refuse industry. Grote Industries in Madison, WI, has just introduced an ultrasound obstacle detection system that uses one or two sensors mounted on the rear of a vehicle. An ultrasonic beam detects anything that comes into its zone, 150º left and right and an adjustable 30º up and down. Zones are programmable at 1, 4, and 7 ft. When a driver whose sensors are programmed for 7 ft. gets within that distance of any object, he will automatically receive a red light on the control unit mounted in the cab along with a steady auditory beep. If the driver keeps backing up, two lights come on and the tone accelerates to a more rapid beep; if he ignores this he gets three lights and a steady beep.

Darren Harmon, group manager for Grote's Harness and Obstacle Detection Division, says the system will detect movement, such as a child running behind a refuse truck, but the company is marketing it primarily as an aid for operators in avoiding obstacles in the rear of their equipment. The cost of the installation kit is approximately $900, and so far the system has not seen service in the refuse industry.

Pulsed radar is another object detection system being marketed to solid waste managers. The PreView Object Detection System from Preco Electronics works on the same principle as a radar gun but, instead of measuring speed, it measures the distance between its sensor and an object. The system will pick up moving as well as static objects, which Eric Paul, southern regional sales manager, points out other systems, such as sonar, aren't able to do. "Some companies have installed the PreView system to detect personnel standing at the back of a truck, others just because they want coverage behind the vehicle. We can offer coverage at 10, 15, or up to 26 feet. When the unit picks up a person [or object], it sends a signal to an LED readout in the cab, which tells the operator how close he is to the person or object and also sounds an audible warning tone. The light on the control unit goes from green to red, and the closer the operator gets to the object, the faster the horn will beep and the lights will blink.

"The system has a 1-amp output so you can use it in conjunction with your camera monitors. The camera gets the signal from the radar about where the object is and then focuses in on that area. You can also wire the system to the vehicle's backup alarm so when the truck goes in reverse the alarm sounds once and doesn't sound again until the system detects something. This has the added benefit of decreasing noise pollution, a bonus when you're running an early-morning route in a residential neighborhood." Paul reports that the $350 system has already been installed on both Heil and McNeilus bodies.

Caution on object detection systems comes from Franklin, where Joe Williams worries about upkeep, sensor malfunctions, and driver override. "We had a guy new to driving a frontloader overrun a stop sign and decide to back up. His sensors told him there was something out there and locked him down. He couldn't see anything in either mirror, so he reached down and hit the manual override, then backed right into a Jeep."

At Allied Waste Industries in Scottsdale, AZ, Group Safety Manager Garry Mosier has tried a range of object detection systems but worries about false alarms, unnecessary brake lockup, and product support. "Infrared lenses get dirty, ultrasound horns get clogged," says Mosier, who still likes cameras best, especially since new solid-state models have made maintenance easier. "You don't have to worry about false alarms, and it's easy to identify when the lens needs cleaning."

And while a camera is the most reliable device for keeping the operator from hitting something else, Mosier thinks lights are what keep the public from hitting refuse vehicles. "It's common in our industry to have people rear-end our trucks when they're going along a curb, particularly our rearloaders. And over the years we've had employees hit when they were walking across the street to pick up a container." To address the problem, Mosier worked with Dan Rosen, Heil account director, and Jay Gillam, manager of the Heavy-Duty Division of Peterson Manufacturing in Grandview, MI, to specify an LED light package. "We've had LED lights on all our new vehicles for a couple of years now," says Mosier, "and we've also added LED strobes, the idea being that when automobile drivers see those strobe lights they tend to slow down, and this reduces the risk to an employee working in the vicinity of the vehicle." The new strobes are mounted on both the front and rear of the truck, and Mosier says reports from the field indicate the new lights work. "When I talk to the drivers on the street, they tell me the new lighting packages are one of the best things we ever did."

Collection truck with 420SA strobing amber lights

"What we wanted," relates Rosen, "was to make these trucks and their operators stand out more, to provide a safer working environment for crews on the trucks and for passersby. What we did was basically develop a new lighting standard for Allied. You have LED lights in all locations. You have three alternating strobes on the rear and alternating strobes on the front of the body and another strobe on the cab of the chassis. You'd have to be sound asleep to not see a truck going down the road equipped this way. And not only do we have a more substantial lighting package, the lights are also programmed to function when certain conditions exist. When the pump is on, for example, that means the vehicle is operating and the truck is most likely at a standstill or potentially at a lower speed, so we want more lights on. We also give the operator the ability to turn the lights on if he finds himself in an environment he doesn't consider safe."

Gillam explains what makes all this possible. "LED lights draw less amperage than incandescent lights, they last longer, and they need very little maintenance. At Peterson we decided that we could use the light-emitting diodes in the LEDs programmed with a computer chip to make a strobe that would meet the SAE [Society of Automotive Engineers] specification.

"What we gave Allied was a strobe that won't be damaged under refuse industry conditions [and is] very brilliant, longer-lasting, and very low maintenance. It's great to put something on your vehicles to make people aware, but if it's in the shop every three months, you haven't achieved anything. Based on a request from Allied and other users, we've now set it up so when the vehicle goes into a turn, the LED strobe on the rear converts into an amber turn signal and the strobe on the other side of the truck shuts off. That way people aren't focused on the strobe and miss the turn signal." Gillam estimates that a pair of LED strobes, which needs only 12 volts of current, can be installed very reasonably on an existing vehicle. In addition to equipping all its new vehicles with LED lights and strobes, Allied has committed to retrofitting its existing residential and commercial fleet, an effort Mosier estimates will run a little more than $1 million. "When you see our new lighting packages on the trucks coming off the assembly line, you have to think the fire department has nothing on us."

Chip Sawyer, national sales manager for the Amber Products Division of Whelen Engineering Company in Chester, CT, reports that the refuse industry seems to be more aware of the need for better emergency lighting, which has long been standard with state Departments of Transportation and on emergency vehicles. "What I would like the industry to realize is there are standards out there for different classes of lighting devices - and that companies like ours are creating opportunities to help refuse managers take advantage of them."

More comfortable, more visible, and with equipment that puts eyes in the back of his head, the refuse equipment operator is also equipped with a host of interlocks that most manufacturers now describe as industry standards: automatic neutral when operating the power take-off, making the grabber on automated sideloaders inoperable unless the truck is stopped or running at a limited speed, preventing the operation of the packing panel without explicit attention from the operator, an automatic neutral from Crane Carrier that throws the transmission into neutral and applies parking brakes to the rear axles when the driver leaves the truck, and preventing a trailer from moving with the rolloff hoist in the up position.

But as Strange points out, safety is relative, and one man's interlock is another man's obstacle to increased productivity. "At McNeilus we try to integrate as much software safety interlocks as we can at no charge," he says, "but at some point there's an interlock that requires additional switches, and this means additional cost." Strange agrees that the answer is in less wiring and fewer switches. In a word: multiplexing. "Three years from now, not only the McNeilus Companies but most of the industry is going to have multiplex technology, because that's what's coming out of the transmission and engine technology, and we need to be able to communicate. The plus is that it should drive down costs and increase safety."

Bill Sixsmith at International Truck and Engine Corporation says the future is already here. Sixsmith, who is director of marketing for the Severe Service Vehicle Center in Warrensville, IL, describes Diamond Logic, International's multiplex electrical system, which is available on its 4000- and 7000-series trucks. "We can literally program anything the customer wants into this truck," says Sixsmith. "We have only nine pairs of twisted wires where before there were literally hundreds of wires, one for each function.

"We've been working with McNeilus and Heil on integrating their bodies with our trucks using electrical connectors. They buy the connectors and hook them into our electrical boxes. There's no cutting or splicing, and they can program the switches. Right now we are unique in the industry with this capability."

Sixsmith describes the integrated rolloff International developed with G&H Manufacturing in Arlington, TX. "The problem was operators were moving down the road with the hoist in the up position, and they'd hit bridges or overpasses, take out power lines. Our engineers and their engineers got together, and what we decided was to program the shut off of fuel to the engine if the truck is driven over 10 miles an hour when the hoist is up. This alerts the driver, he lowers the hoist, and the truck performs as it ordinarily would. We can program anything a customer wants because of Diamond Logic. We can program lights to go on when it's raining or turn on automatically when the wipers go on. Our truck electronics group is trained to ask the right questions in order to solve the customers' problems."

At G&H Manufacturing, National Accounts Manager Keith Lowe is enthusiastic about the partnership with International. "The problem had always been if there was an electrical problem, we'd point our fingers at International and they'd point theirs at us, and all we did was frustrate the customer. Now that we plug in, we know exactly where the problem is, whether it's on the body or the chassis. It's like attaching the pigtail on a boat trailer. This connector has more wires, but it's still not very big - about the size of the palm of my hand.

"Drivers are always looking for ways to get around things that aggravate them - like the old whisker switch on our hoist-up alarm. Now with this integrated body there's no way they can do that kind of tampering."

Other G&H rolloff safety options include covering the control levers so someone working on the vehicle can't accidentally kick the controls and bring down the hoist on him or her, supplying a ratchet wrench on each side of the container to secure tie-downs, and replacing hoist hoses with tubing. At J&J Truck Bodies in Somerset, PA, Tim Thompson suggests two products his customers are interested in from Aero Industries in Indianapolis, ID: the Razor, electronic controls for landing gear, and the LID, for replacing tarps on trailers. Aero Project Engineering Manager Mike Morrow describes the Razor as a motor that mounts onto the landing gear and runs on its own battery, which can be wired to the tractor to recharge. So far the bulk of sales has been direct to end users at about $1,250 a unit. The LID is a metal frame that supports a mesh material; the device attaches to the trailer like a screen door. When the frame is folded over the top of the trailer, the entire top is covered - no tarps. The LID is automated and is operated at ground level, which means, says Morrow, that all the driver has to do is get out of the truck, walk to the front of the trailer, and activate the hydraulic valve - no climbing. The LID is being marketed for about $3,300 exclusive of installation.

What's up for the future? "The number-one area is going to be lighting," says Houston, "followed by cameras, and way down on the list, backup devices." Phillip Headley, manager of technical programs for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), says the next revision of refuse industry standard ANSI Z245.1 will take a look at arm interlocks for automated sideloaders, warning and safety signs on trucks - given that English might not be the first language for many refuse crews - and front-arm and fork positions on frontloaders in transit. "ANSI standards are voluntary safety standards," says Headley, "but they're a plaintiff attorney's best weapon. If 80% of the industry is following them, you're dead in the water if you're not."

What else should you spec for safety? Ratledge offers a list of requests. Between 30% and 40% of Heil customers are now requesting fire extinguishers, the standard being the 20-lb. model. In addition, some customers request fire doors in the roof, safety triangles or Triflector kits, wheel chocks, ladders, fire hose connectors, and spill response kits. Through Link Manufacturing Ltd., Arnco offers SuperFlex Softfill to flatproof truck tires and extend their wear.

But even with all these bells and whistles, says Strange, we also need to remind the operators of their responsibility, which means training. "We have to make drivers as aware and as accountable as we can, not to the point where we scare them but where we empower them. Because at the end of the day, they're responsible."

Penelope Grenoble O'Malley is a frequent contributor to environmental publications.

MSW - November/December 2003