Benlee’s ‘Look Up!’ sign bids to save scrap yard lives

United States – Following a number of recent accidents at US scrap yards, major roll-off trailer manufacturer Benlee has launched a campaign to warn customers of the risks.

Benlee’s management confirms to Recycling International that they know of two recent incidents where bridges were hit as a result of driving with the hoist up; one resulted in a death because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. ‘Sadly, in almost every roll-off truck we see in our service operation, the ”hoist up” alarm has been disabled by the driver,’ the company states.

Benlee has also learned of two recent incidents involving power lines, one of which also led to a fatality. The company ‘always recommends the operator to pay special attention to all of his surroundings, including people, vehicles and of course power lines above’, adding that this is ‘a special warning and recommendation in our operations manual and is highlighted by a large sticker on our roll-offs right near the controls’.

To reinforce these warnings, Benlee has created a new ‘DANGER’ sign that is mounted immediately behind the controls and reads ‘Look Up!’ Also, to prevent future ‘hoist up’ accidents, Benlee will require every driver to sign a document stating either that he is aware the alarm has been disabled and does not want it repaired, or that he wants the supplier to fix it.

For more information, visit: www.benlee.com