Quantitative and Narrative Analysis of Dump Truck-Related Injuries and Fatalities in the United States

Dump truck safety recommendations have been implemented by companies, but a comprehensive study of risk factors associated with dump truck injuries and fatalities has not been performed. Published research specifically focusing on dump truck injuries is limited. The purpose of this descriptive study was to characterize risk factors associated with dump truck-related inspection cases reported by the OSHA in the United States. Dump truck inspections during 2016–2020 were obtained from the online OSHA IMIS database. Pearson’s chi-square test and logistic regression were performed. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using PROC MIXED and a generalized linear mixed model was calculated on 122 closed dump truck-related inspection cases. One half of dump truck worker fatalities resulted in a serious OSHA violation, whereas three quarters of nonfatal dump truck worker injuries resulted in an ‘other’ or no OSHA violation; 22% of fatalities involved the dump truck backing up. A nonfatal injury narrative often involved the words ‘finger’, ‘tailgate’, and ‘bed’, whereas the words ‘trailer’, ‘asphalt’, ‘load’, and ‘loader’ were mentioned more often in fatalities. A fatal dump truck injury was three times more likely to be associated with a serious OSHA violation compared to a nonfatal dump truck injury. Industries should provide initial and refresher worker safety training to dump truck drivers and other employees who work within the dump truck hazard zone, particularly employees who utilize dump trucks for working with asphalt or around power lines, and employees who repair dump trucks.