Compressed air inside a tire is stored energy that produces an explosion when suddenly released. An exploding truck tire can launch a person into the air and produce a blast wave that can knock someone across a room. Tire explosions have blown rims through garage doors. If you are a commercial or owner operator trucking service and don’t outsource your tire maintenance to specialists, make sure your workers are well-trained and have access to the proper tools, equipment, and safety gear.
As providers of commercial or owner operator truck insurance in Tennessee, we would like to share these safety suggestions:
Don’t Inflate a Tire While It’s Lying Flat on the Floor
The (concrete) floor serves as a platform against which the exploding tire and/or rim can launch itself and possibly the worker up into the air. After mounting the tire, place the tire and rim assembly inside a safety cage before inflation. Do not mount the safety cage against the floor or other solid flat structure because it will prevent the cage bars from deforming (which absorb energy).
Make Sure the Tire Bead and Rim Diameters Match
Mounting a tire on a slightly larger rim means that the tire bead will not properly seat against the rim flange. Workers have been killed attempting to seat the tire bead on an incorrect rim by continually adding more air to force the fit. This causes the tire bead to fail with tremendous force.
Inflate Tires Only When:
- They are either secured to a tire mounting machine or
- Mounted on the truck or
- Placed inside a safety cage
Stay out of the Trajectory Zone
When inflating a tire do not stand in front of it. Stay well off to the side. Only use equipment and hosing that allow you to do this. The trajectory zone is the path that the rim and tire will take during a failure.
Inspect Tires for Damage before Inflating Them
If your commercial or owner operator truck tire is under inflated, inspect it for damage before inflating it back to its proper pressure. Inflating a damaged tire may cause it to burst.
Use Proper Protection
Wear eye protection, gloves, and boots with steel toes.
People working in both the trucking and auto mechanic industries are killed every year because of mishaps with pressurized tires. The bigger the tire and the higher the pressure, the more destructive energy released. Exercise extreme caution and never rush tire work to meet a schedule. It isn’t worth it.
Get the proper coverage with the right insurance carrier. If you are looking for commercial or owner operator truck insurance in Tennessee, contact us today.
