AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), deaths, serious

18th March 2010, Page 26
18th March 2010
Page 26
Page 26, 18th March 2010 — According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), deaths, serious
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

injuries and extensive damage to property occur every year through vehicles being involved in workplace accidents.

These could partly be avoided through greater driver awareness about the layout of the workplace they are visiting, the route they need to take and any other practices, David Higginbottom at the RTITB says drivers should be aware of their responsibilities in relation to loading: "There have been cases where a driver has driven away before loading has been completed."

Drivers are sometimes asked to vacate their vehicle or hand in the ignition key to avoid this. "No-one is running the same system, but they're all designed to stop the 'drive-away scenario'," says Higginbottom.

He adds that safety issues also arise when drivers are not allowed to be present during loading for security reasons He cites one case, publicised by the HSE, where roll cages had been insecurely loaded when the driver was not there. "He stopped at a speed ramp and the cages virtually demolished the cab after coming through the front of the trailer. It shows you can't take it as read it has been loaded correctly."

Sally Thorn ley at the FTA says blaming the person who loaded the vehicle is no excuse. She adds: "Once the vehicle goes out on the road the driver is responsible for it."


comments powered by Disqus