DP Freight:
No point blaming the companies of the staff, HSE set the rules. Working at Height regs state that you need to remove or reduce the risk of someone being injured from a fall.
So if you can’t install edge protection i.e. on a curtainsider being unloaded from the side you should have a fall arrest system in place.
In the case of of being allowed on the bed with the back open and the sides closed, as stupid as it sounds that does reduce the risk as only one side to fall from.
The difficult part as an employer is that even if I feel installing an extra rail on he ceiling of the trailer to clip a harness on to is adequate protection. There is no guarantee that the site will accept that and the sites rules may not allow it.
HSE won’t be happy until we risk assess every site we plan to visit ffs.
Summary: don’t blame the forkies they have just been told company policy, which in turn was probably set by someone who doesn’t know which end the lorry is which.
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Of course its the companies fault! Even contemplating putting an extra rail on a curtainsider for a harness and talk of fall arrest systems equates to being brainwashed with H&S BS. As for working at height, how about the days of roping and sheeting, climbing on loads to secure ect, we’re all still here…
The companies just do the minimum required to not get prosecuted/fined. Not many companies are lining up to add a load of extra red tape and cost to their operations voluntarily. It’s just if you don’t do it then when something eventually happens you get called up for an investigation.
I think it is well too much, the risks of falling from a trailer are low in comparison to other things but we don’t decide the law - we just try to abide by it.
DP Freight:
HSE won’t be happy until we risk assess every site we plan to visit ffs.
In that case I guess European work iwill soon be out of the question for U.K. hauliers.
If we were in the UK HSE would have a field day with our Malaga yard, probably around 50 odd tilts in there at any one time, many broken waiting repair, axles being stripped out by the mechanics if the workshop is full, parts/freight all over the place, drivers getting rides on fork tynes, ppe and vis consisting of shorts/t shirt and flip flops/crocs and Pablo (yes really!) one of our security guys hound from hell like guard dog running amok, not to mention smoking at the pumps But…it all works well and good…
I’m glad I got my CSCS card other year as I see certain driving jobs coming up with Agency’s looking for drivers that will tip at building sites etc. and CSCS card is needed.
how much more ideal is this?..the pub in malin that also sells petrol has the pumps at the roadside…the smoking area for the barflies is next to the pumps with the ashtray on the wall immediately behind the petrol pump…exactly as it is today…pure donegal health and insanity class.
Health and insanity DD but its all still there. Sort of reminds me of a little village in Norfolk (name escapes me) two S bends through the village and right on the exit bend straight in front of you is the little garage with the petrol pumps by the roadside and theyve been there forever. Could never have been a collision/accident there as the pumps were of the old type with the sight glass at the side…
I’ve lost count over the years of the number of sites I’ve been on where there’s a big mirror with the words ‘You’re looking at the person responsible for your safety’ above it.
As the title say’s More H&S bollo.
I saw one of them at homebase rdc swindon,i looked at one of the other drivers in the mirror and said to him your responsible for my safety,he replied with a laugh whys that then,i said cos i’m looking at you in the mirror
I had a job using a road unit to shunt, 12 hour night shifts, 5 days aweek. I was injured connecting a red airline with to much pressure, caused the airline to backfire, jolting my shoulder, then me requiring an operation and 8 months off work.
H+s said they have never heard of any reported accidents of this nature, and went on to say using a tug motor/ terberg, for the same shifts doing the same amount of coupling/ coupling procedures, same amount of cab dismounts has the same amount of risk on body and of injury as a road unit
Do you think they took into account pressurised airline coupling instead of tap, winding legs up and down etc.
if anyone know of similar injuries whilst connecting airlines drop me a message
I had a bit of a run in at Travis Perkins site once.
Was driving flat bed…had a delivery to one there stores.
Got there offloaded me but there was small bundle and few bits in middle of truck for them. I started to climb up to pass down . Was told off.
Said well how meant get them off.
Some manager said out yard about a mile is a laybye you can get on there move stuff to edge of truck then come back.
My response was h&s won’t let me climb on truck in a secure yard where there’s 1st aiders incase worst happens. Yet your happy for me to do it on a main road in a laybye ? He had no response.
I said no problem I have a few more deliveres to do once I’m in a secure yard where can access my truck I’ll.come.back possibly be tomorrow he soon changed his tune and.let me.climb on board
I’ve got mixed views on H&S but mostly I’m tending to be in favour of it:
(i) Cons: I’ve been barred from a building site for climbing on the back of my trailer to put straps on a pallet to unload it with my hiab, because the building site didn’t have a telehandler to move stuff around I was told that if what I was doing was necessary, I needed to drive off site to strap the pallet then reverse back in - they got a less than friendly response to that and I was barred.
(ii) Pros: I’ve invoked H&S at Work Act(1974) chapter and verse to tell a very dodgy employer why his “request” was unsafe and that if he was going to threaten me with disciplinary action for refusing to do what he wanted, then I’d be getting in touch with HSE asap.
A year after I told him where to stick his job, someone died at one of his sites…
dozy:
I’ve always prepared my internals before getting to a delivery / collection site , it’s called forward thinking !!!
I’ll try and remember that doze…cheers.
I plan to stay at decent places about a couple of hours before my time is up, instead of settling for a ■■■■ lay by at side of road on 8 hours 59…that’s also called forward thinking .
But…it all works well and good…
I was told that if what I was doing was necessary, I needed to drive off site to strap the pallet then reverse back in - they got a less than friendly response to that and I was barred.
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