Working Height Directive

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Im going to have a new rant about the health and safety regulations. This time the Working at Height Directive.

hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

I will not be long before we are made to have a permanent nanny to accompany us to work, unless they ban work because it is too dangerous!

Last week I had a delivery to Workington with a road tanker.

Someone in an office has decided that I am not safe to climb up the ladder on my tank to operate it, so new regulations have been brought in that allows me to operate all the valves and controls from the floor, errr, except that the tanker has the manlids on the top of the tanker as is the norm.

This tanker I had was brand new and had automatic guard rails operated from ground level, it had a staircase at the rear rather than a ladder, if anyone falls off one of these I would doubt their suitability to be let out in public on their own.

At some companies now you need specialist training before being allowed on site, its H & S gone mad, I have to wear more straps and buckles and pvc equipment than on my last visit to Madam Whiplash.

This road tanker I was using had non slip matting, safety rails for the stairway, mounting points for climbing equipment and safety restraints and more written warnings than a doctors surgery.

I use to deliver to a factory in Oldbury, this product was extremely hazardous to breathe in or come into contact with skin, The factory had site rules that stopped drivers accessing the top of the tanker, so the answer was that drivers had to park off site in a residential street, open the manlids and take a sample and then walk up the street carrying dangerous chemicals in a jam jar. That is ok though because If I had fallen off my truck in the street, the company would not be liable to prosecution.

Im going to go out for a pint, if I can get my nanny to put on my protective knee pads and elbow armour. Is it just me again?

2

Wheel Nut:
Im going to go out for a pint, if I can get my nanny to put on my protective knee pads and elbow armour. Is it just me again?

Make sure it’s in a plastic glass - you could fall over and cut yourself :smiley: :smiley:

3

Does this new regulation prevent any of us driving a Renault Magnum :question:

4

Just noticed Happy birthday David5l for the 2/11/05 :smiley:

5

convoy:
Just noticed Happy birthday David5l for the 2/11/05 :smiley:

Thanks, I was trying to keep it quite but got stitched up :imp: :imp:

:wink:

6

Wonder if those regulations cover taillifts?

7

use to deliver to a factory in Oldbury, this product was extremely hazardous to breathe in or come into contact with skin, The factory had site rules that stopped drivers accessing the top of the tanker, so the answer was that drivers had to park off site in a residential street, open the manlids and take a sample and then walk up the street carrying dangerous chemicals in a jam jar. That is ok though because If I had fallen off my truck in the street, the company would not be liable to prosecution.

:exclamation: It’s ilegal to open a Tanktrailer in a Puplicarea if he is not cleaned :exclamation:
:exclamation: It 's ilegal to open a Tanktrailer loaded with Hazard,or uncleaned on other Sides then Restricted areas of companies which deals with your Trailer :exclamation:
=That may be the Company which loads the Trailer,
=That may be the Company which unloads the Trailer
=That may be the Company which cleans your Trailer
:bulb: You shall know that as ADR Driver :exclamation:
=You also have to stay after a Stop for safety Reason 10Minutes in Cab before you leave if you drive an ADR carrying Truck (ADR Legislation in use since April 2004 in UK)

8

me and another lad were topping empty flats and semi-lows at a paper mill a few weeks ago when the H&S supremo (quite a nice bloke actually, he’d been answering my questions about the mill earlier) politely asked what we were doing (as a company) about the “new” working at height regulations - basically sod all i told him as we’d never get anything done in our line of work if we observed all such regulations - not being clever or bolshy: it’s an honest fact

he didn’t really know what to say but it was 18:30 by then and we were leaving site so he didn’t pursue it :wink: :laughing:

9

You’re not actually far off you know.

Working at Height regulations (HSE Misc614) states that if you are working at height you need to wear safety restraining equipment. For example, a safety harness.

The regulation previously quoted 2m above ground but I beleieve that now is anything.

Effectively if you stand on the back of a flatbed, you need safety restraining gear?! Huh?

That bit doesn’t make sense.

However, what I think they are trying to say is that when you are on top of the tanker you need to be wearing restraining gear in case you fall.

However, I would ask that you ask them to clarify themselves precisely, referenting where necessary to Health & Safety Exectutive Guidelines. They should have a printed notice.

It might be worthwhile raising this with your bosses to find out how you and they legally stand… This HSE stuff is really complicated.

PUWER = Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
LOLER = Lifting Operations and Lifting Equpment Regulations 1998
MISC614 = Some revised document I’ve been refered to by work…

google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q= … arch&meta=

10

Wheel Nut:
I have to wear more straps and buckles and pvc equipment than on my last visit to Madam Whiplash.

Is she local? ,Melbourne isn’t far from here.

11

paul@midway:

Wheel Nut:
I have to wear more straps and buckles and pvc equipment than on my last visit to Madam Whiplash.

Is she local? ,Melbourne isn’t far from here.

Hmm, I am sure if you look in the phone book under the relevant titles you’ll find an entry…

The harness I wear for work is nice and snug. I have had a few comments from individuals when I’m strapping them into the harness, and having to reach between their legs to get the straps hooked up… :blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

I am very polite about these things, and careful. It’s not the sort of thing I want to have a complaint about me via the office that I mishandled a client whilst strapping in the harnesses… ooh er! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

12

fred Kanka:
use to deliver to a factory in Oldbury, this product was extremely hazardous to breathe in or come into contact with skin, The factory had site rules that stopped drivers accessing the top of the tanker, so the answer was that drivers had to park off site in a residential street, open the manlids and take a sample and then walk up the street carrying dangerous chemicals in a jam jar. That is ok though because If I had fallen off my truck in the street, the company would not be liable to prosecution.

:exclamation: It’s ilegal to open a Tanktrailer in a Puplicarea if he is not cleaned :exclamation:
:exclamation: It 's ilegal to open a Tanktrailer loaded with Hazard,or uncleaned on other Sides then Restricted areas of companies which deals with your Trailer :exclamation:
=That may be the Company which loads the Trailer,
=That may be the Company which unloads the Trailer
=That may be the Company which cleans your Trailer
:bulb: You shall know that as ADR Driver :exclamation:
=You also have to stay after a Stop for safety Reason 10Minutes in Cab before you leave if you drive an ADR carrying Truck (ADR Legislation in use since April 2004 in UK)

Thats what I mean Fred, it is not Health and Safety, it’s Health and Safety in our back yard :wink: .

I know what they are doing is wrong

13

I run with flatbeds and have now been told at Rumenco, Burton on Trent, that I am not allowed to climb on the load to sheet it.

However, I am allowed to rope it down on site, weigh out, pull into layby on main road, and the climb on load and sheet it, as it’s off site :open_mouth:

The same goes at Nortons Metals, Liverpool, ok to remove net, while climbing on baled cars, whilst parked on main road but not on site, where at least if you fell off, someone might see you.

H&S are screwing up things big time, I personally wouldn’t object to taking one of these H&S bods out with me and showing them the real world.

John

14

this point has just come to light at corus wednesbury, i take steel into this site on a flatbed, as part of the job you as the driver are required to be on the back of the wagon to sling for the crane operator who works at floor level.
because of tipping times getting to the point of being ridiculouse (five hours, one day this week) basically because theres not enough men on the job, i suggested that they train me to operate the crane and i tip my own load, “can’t be done, your not a corus employee so wouldn’t be covered by our insurance”
it then transpires that the corus men aren’t covered to go onto the back of the wagon either and although i’m on corus property, delivering corus steel and in effect helping with the operation of corus equipment, i’m not covered against personal injury in anyway, even if the crane operator drops a ton of steel on my head!
somethings a miss somewhere, it could well be that corus have insurance based on the driver remaining in the cab whilst being tipped but have conveniently forgot to mention it, in the interests of keeping their workforce numbers down.

15

cornish trucker:
I run with flatbeds and have now been told at Rumenco, Burton on Trent, that I am not allowed to climb on the load to sheet it.

However, I am allowed to rope it down on site, weigh out, pull into layby on main road, and the climb on load and sheet it, as it’s off site :open_mouth:

The same goes at Nortons Metals, Liverpool, ok to remove net, while climbing on baled cars, whilst parked on main road but not on site, where at least if you fell off, someone might see you.

H&S are screwing up things big time, I personally wouldn’t object to taking one of these H&S bods out with me and showing them the real world.

John

So basically under THEIR OWN “Health & Safety” rules you cannot do your job on their site. If you fall then it needs to be reported in THEIR accident book and therefore may be reportable to the HSE.

If you go outside it’s not their problem.

My point would be that the load would be unsafe unless secured, and if I didn’t secure it onsite then they might as well take it off.

I have already put my point across when I did that for agency with moving steel.

16

cornish trucker:
I run with flatbeds and have now been told at Rumenco, Burton on Trent, that I am not allowed to climb on the load to sheet it.

However, I am allowed to rope it down on site, weigh out, pull into layby on main road, and the climb on load and sheet it, as it’s off site :open_mouth:

The same goes at Nortons Metals, Liverpool, ok to remove net, while climbing on baled cars, whilst parked on main road but not on site, where at least if you fell off, someone might see you.

H&S are screwing up things big time, I personally wouldn’t object to taking one of these H&S bods out with me and showing them the real world.

John

Yep same for me loading waste paper in bristol." You cant open the roof in here driver " “go outside the gates,open it up and then come in”. Once inside there poxy little yard and in position the h+s resident idiot attaches ropes front and back to the wagon cordoning the loading area off… throws 27 ton of loose newspapers and mag`s in, then sends you outside again to climb up the gantry to close the roof again :open_mouth: :open_mouth: .
■■■■■■■■■ the lot of em

17

Best thing I ever did was quit the transport industry! totaly mad! but you gotta laugh

18

The problem is not Health and Safety, it’s the interpretation and application of the rules by company lawers and acountants, who arn’t worried about your safety, but how much it will cost to put in sensible solutions to avoid injuries and how much it costs when they get sued.
It why companies come up with mad rules like open the trailer up on the road before coming into the site. Of course what you should do to cover yourself is to ask them for that in writing on company paper. That’ll make them think?

19

muckles:
…Of course what you should do to cover yourself is to ask them for that in writing on company paper. That’ll make them think?

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Well said, that’s just the way ahead don’t you think :wink:

20

just to let you know you are meant to wear a harness over 2mts but hears the best bit the lanyards you get with them are open up to about 3 and a half meters i know i have been half way to hell , :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: and trust me when you fall you soon pull your self up lololololol