Trucking is big business. A 2019 study valued the U.S. trucking industry at $791 billion with more than 947,000 truck drivers employed. In a number of cases, instances of wheels not being properly secured resulted in trucking catastrophes—injuries or fatalities that could have been avoided with proper use of tractor trailer safety equipment like industrial wheel chocks.

ADA ramps are cable-protection ramps that are designed to provide an easier crossing for wheelchairs, pedestrians, and vehicles. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed into law in 1990. Title III of the ADA requires places of public access as well as commercial facilities to accommodate persons with disabilities by implementing structural accessibility features in compliance with ADA standards. ADA ramps from Checkers Safety™ have a wide range of applications. The principal application for ADA ramps is to provide ease of crossing for wheelchairs or other pedestrians who might have difficulty navigating over a standard cable protector. In general, ADA ramps offer a more gradual transition from the ground to a cable protector’s surface.

When working on outdoor projects, it’s important to consider ground protection. Landscape damaged by heavy equipment can be expensive to repair. Plus, uneven or muddy ground at job sites may cause project delays or stoppage. But what should you use to protect soft or sensitive ground conditions?

When shopping for wheel chocks, material construction is the most important factor to consider. Common wheel chock materials include wood, rubber, aluminum, steel and urethane. Each option has its benefits. Wood, rubber and aluminum are more economical solutions, while steel and urethane are more costly. Let’s break down each wheel chock material option.

There are a variety of factors that affect the load capacity of a cable protector. Cable protectors are designed to perform in a range of applications. From commercial venues where traffic mainly consists of pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs or strollers to industrial applications where cables need to be protected from large vehicles, cable protectors protect equipment from damage and people from injuries. 

Wheel chocks represent critical safety equipment in industrial, mining and aviation settings. Their proper and sustained use ensures that lives are protected, and such use is required by the DOT, NFPA, SAE and MSHA. There are multiple wheel chocks on the market, including those constructed of aluminum, wood, rubber and urethane. Federal guidelines do not generally specify the type of material that must be utilized for industrial applications; however, rubber and urethane are the two most commonly selected by safety managers.

One of the most important elements to consider when looking for a cable protector is the size of the cables or hoses that it is designed to house. Factors such as the maximum outside diameter of a cord or cable, or the number of channels a cable protector has are design specifications that will—in part—determine which cable protector is best suited to your needs.   

All cable protectors serve the same basic function—protecting cables and hoses from being damaged by various kinds of traffic as well as eliminating tripping hazards—but they do not all share the same design specifications or features. One of the design features that distinguishes one cable protector from another is the kind of connector used to link individual cable protectors together.

The construction work sector is one of the most dangerous among all occupations. According to OSHA, around 20 percent—1,061—worker fatalities took place in the construction industry in 2019, representing one in five workers. 

In 2020, the U.S. mining industry saw fatal accidents claim the lives of 29 workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Vehicle-related incidents cause a large portion of these accidents year after year and highlight the need for proper mining safety equipment, such as wheel chocks.