A mate of mine had to drive a truck the other day which had no ventilation onto the screen or side windows, no form of screen or side window demisting and the windows wouldn’t go down either!!!..oh, and no roof hatch!!
As you can imagine things got a bit stuffy in there after a while,especially after jumping in and out a few times in the pouring rain and then the windows started to steam up.
With no way of clearing the windscreen or side windows apart from growing a pair of long arms and reaching out to keep wiping them clean with a cloth there wasn’t anything he could do,the more he wiped the more it smeared, he even tried driving with the door held open to get some air inside!!!
He said it was like driving through permanent fog. Personally I would have refused to take it out on the road but the question is…is it legal to drive a vehicle on the road with these faults??
Ventilation in the workplace is covered under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which states that workplaces need to be adequately ventilated in the proper manner by which clean air is drawn from an external source outside of the workplace and circulated throughout the building. Whether by natural or mechanical means, it should dilute and remove humid air and provide sufficient air movement to give a feeling of freshness without causing a draught.
not sure if it applies to vehicle cabs. but they are a drivers work place
Had the heater matrix go on my mates Transconti as we were going round the M25 bound for Austria, it was like a sauna inside the cab! We drove along with the windows open, steam pouring out and everyone who passed us giving it I used a screenscraper to keep the inside clear!
The law would take a very dim view of you driving with the windows steamed up…
Wether it is illegal or not as far as the roadworthyness is concerned, if you where to be involved in an rta, and the plod found that you where unable to see out of the windows properly no doubt they could report you for driving without due care & attention,
But it should be a GV9 i too would refuse to be taking the heap of(zb) out on the road,
What are you supposed to do when it’s frozen solid first thing on a winters morning?
Wheel Nut:
Do those lads who deliver money and credit cards have any windows or roof hatches?
Seems like a roll of blue paper or half a potato would keep VOSA off your back
They probably have AC.
When I was a bus driver the rule was no demisters or only blowing cold then the bus didn’t leave the depot and if it was on the road the depot had two reasonable oppertunities to arrange a change of bus on route or the bus came off the road at the next terminus.
Dunno if that was a union agreed rule or if it was legal requirement. Probably the latter as from what I heard the union rep was partial to a game of golf with the depot manager
macker1:
Ventilation in the workplace is covered under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which states that workplaces need to be adequately ventilated in the proper manner by which clean air is drawn from an external source outside of the workplace and circulated throughout the building. Whether by natural or mechanical means, it should dilute and remove humid air and provide sufficient air movement to give a feeling of freshness without causing a draught.
not sure if it applies to vehicle cabs. but they are a drivers work place
As someone who has worked as a h & s rep for 4 years ill have to give you my input. Yes, the Workplace Regs cover ventilation but, as i was reliably informed, a vehicle is only classed as a place of work if it is broken down at the side of the road being repaired or in a garage being worked on. Its daft i know but this is the way we were all instructed.
macker1:
Ventilation in the workplace is covered under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which states that workplaces need to be adequately ventilated in the proper manner by which clean air is drawn from an external source outside of the workplace and circulated throughout the building. Whether by natural or mechanical means, it should dilute and remove humid air and provide sufficient air movement to give a feeling of freshness without causing a draught.
not sure if it applies to vehicle cabs. but they are a drivers work place
As someone who has worked as a h & s rep for 4 years ill have to give you my input. Yes, the Workplace Regs cover ventilation but, as i was reliably informed, a vehicle is only classed as a place of work if it is broken down at the side of the road being repaired or in a garage being worked on. Its daft i know but this is the way we were all instructed.
Sorry I beg to differ
It’s a place of work if you’re caught smoking in it broke down or not
Deffo shouldnt be on the road in that pile of junk.
Glazing: C&U section 31 and 32
There are different standards for windscreen and side-window glass: essentially windscreen glass must not splinter — all windows must be fitted with safety glass. The glass must be maintained so as not to obscure the vision of the driver while the vehicle is being driven on the road.
I read that as the windscreen should be kept clear at all times while in motion, having a defective demister breaches this aspect of the C&U regs.
I used a screenscraper to keep the inside clear!
