Deaths from towball recoveries

What about deaths from infection after stubbing toe while doing recovery??

Thanks Ross. I really apreciate that link and have passed it on to a training team as current examples of dangers when doing recoveries.

The deaths will always be recorded BUT, how many near misses were there that don't get reported/recorded?
There's probablly 1000's of recoveries across QLD alone and the majority done safely.

Andy

2 : 16,000,000 ??? Not bad odds. Seems most people are getting it right .. or getting lucky.

Still, I am sure there is an insurance executive out there somewhere who could justify a hefty premium rise on those odds.

Jack

After browsing a few posts about this topic, I thought I might drop my 2 bobs worth in.
Back in the reckless days prior to "Safe Work Method Statements" and over 35 years ago my father worked as a tree lopper for a local council. After cutting down a tree the norm was to attach the stump to the towbar with a chain and simply pull out the stump. The stump had been loosened by a digger first. Now Gum trees generally have an easy root system to pull out in this manner.
Not this time the towbar detached from the truck and landed on his foot. The boot had to be removed from his foot in hospital. All he got was a major bruise. He was one of the lucky ones
BUT What was he thinking?

Interesting link, particularly:

# It is dangerous to attached a snatch strap to a vehicle's bumpers, bull bar, axles, suspension, steering rods, or a trailer hitch ball.
# NEVER connect a snatch strap to a conventional tow bar, tow ball or tie down points. They are not designed to withstand the severe forces created by snatch straps.

The noise is about towball vs receiver pin most of the time. I think you'll find they are against both.

i have a vtab accreditation through the nsw association,and have been involved in training and education for many years now. with out any doubt toe balls should never be used as a recovery point. i have now got into the habit of using cable breaks in all recovery situaions reguardless of weather they involve winch cables or sling shots using cable. we throuw them over our snach strap recoverys as well
better safe than sorry
donnnnny

In looking at the comments on this issue perhaps I can add some salient points.

There is an Australian standard/competency that we train to in order to reduce risk and it clearly identifies that the use of a tow ball is dangerous and never to be done.

Tow balls are designed to take a vertical load only and are engineered to that design alone. Hooking a snatch strap to one is courting disaster as identified in the article.

Use of the tow receiver and the hitch pin is quite suitable as it is designed to take a lateral/horizontal load. Hence the use of receiver blocks with either recovery hooks or bow shackles. The only issue to be aware of is that you need to run a file around inside the receiver to take off the sharp edges otherwise they can cut through the snatch strap threads whic promotes premature failure.

The correct identificaton of recovery points at the front of many vehicles is not well understood and many people confuse the wire tow/tie points for recovery and they are not rated. No hi-tensile bolts then no rating on that point. For example the current model hi-lux has no front recovery points. There are now aftermarket ones available that take a bow shackle and so allow for a bridle to lessen the recovery load on the car.

I hope that helps with the discussion.

Regards

RobA

A work colleague was bogged in his Jackaroo and hooked the snatch strap onto the tow ball behind the recovery vehicle. The tow ball broke, and came back through the windscreen smashing into his shoulder, just above the heart. His shoulder was smashed to pieces and he spent many weeks recovering. Had the tow ball hit him 1 inch lower, he would have been killed...They never found the bottom half of the tow ball.

Is there a rated point on the front of a 100series without a bullbar?