Safety and efficiency need to work together to achieve successful landfill operations. Rear eject bodies substantially minimize the dangers associated with traditional dump bodies, maximizing safety as well as efficiency.
Josh Swank
Landfill operations run in high gear day in and day out, from hauling, processing, piling and compaction to the end of the day sand cap. All the hustle and bustle sometimes leads landfill managers to question whether everything is being done not only as fast as possible, but as safe as possible.
Refuse, especially in municipal solid waste landfills, can be light and irregular, making it nearly impossible to use the full rated capacity of a haul truck. To combat this, workers might drive faster to complete cycles more quickly, or worse yet, begin pulling forward while still operating the dump bed, which can trigger truck rolls and significantly harm workers or damage the truck. These approaches are unnecessary risks. Rear eject bodies — an alternative haul truck body style that uses a hydraulic cylinder and blade to push materials out of the back of a truck — substantially minimize the dangers associated with traditional dump bodies. Here are a few ways this technology has been enhancing landfill operations.
Stability Enhancements
Rear eject bodies keep operators safe because, unlike standard dump bodies, a hydraulic “ejector blade” unloads the truck evenly. This creates a consistent flow and low center of gravity, giving the driver complete control of the material being discharged while minimizing the chance of tips and rolls when dumping on unstable refuse hills.
Additionally, the ejector blade ensures all the refuse, no matter how sticky, empties every time. So maintenance workers don’t need to enter the body to remove accumulated materials, which is not only time consuming, but also increases the chance of injuries.
Ergonomic Benefits
Unlike standard gravity-fed dump trucks, rear eject truck bodies don’t slam down onto the truck chassis after dumping. The uncomfortable bangs and vibrations that come from gravity-fed trucks can contribute to worker fatigue and musculoskeletal injuries — such as strains, soreness, hernias or connective tissue injuries — over time.
Obstacle Avoidance
Haul trucks designed with the unique logistical and safety challenges of landfills in mind empower operators to perform at peak capacity while eliminating potentially hazardous conditions. For example, the truck body might be lower than standard trucks to accommodate different loading heights or limited dump clearances.
Consistent Loads on the Go
Since it’s safe to loop around garbage mounds as the rear eject bodies dump refuse at a steady rate, cycle times improve. And, they can even push material out of the body when it’s backed up a refuse hill and situated at an angle, an impossible task due to gravity’s impact on standard OEM dump bodies.
Going custom with rear eject bodies is a simple change for increased truck stability, fewer workers’ compensation claims and increased productivity. Safety and efficiency need to work as a cohesive unit to achieve successful landfill operations. After all, your employees are your most precious cargo.
Josh Swank is Vice President of Sales and Marketing and a 12-year Philippi-Hagenbuch associate. He oversees the mining industry sales group and all company marketing efforts from the Peoria, Illinois, facility. His previous roles within the organization include global sales and marketing manager, and account manager. Josh can be reached at 800-477-6464. More information: www.philsystems.com.