AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Tips on tippers

31st December 1998
Page 17
Page 17, 31st December 1998 — Tips on tippers
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?

On reading a booklet from Jour insurers regarding the safe use of machinery I noticed references to the 1992 Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations and to ancillary hydraulic equipment fitted to commercial vehicles including tipping equipment.

There are two new regulations. The purpose of the booklet was to inform clients of The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations and The Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations which came into force on 5 December 1998.

The 1992 regulations specifically refer to tippers, and by implication the new regulations will also apply The tale of the 1992 regulations is still not resolved to everyone's satisfaction within the industry. In essence these regulations require a tipping gear supplier such as ourselves to supply, if requested, a Certificate of Conformity with each kit supplied stating that the equipment is safe and meets the CE requirements.

I and others have argued that this is nonsense. Although we can and do supply components that are in themselves safe, until they are fitted onto a chassis and body in the correct manner and tested, the certificate is meaningless. All the major bodybuilders seem to share this opinion, which is why they attach their own CE plate to an installation.

Para 9 (1) parts (a) and 0)) of the 1998 Lifting Regulations require that the person responsible for such equipment needs to have carried out a thorough defect examination by a suitably qualified person. If the responsible person is in possession of a valid Certificate of Conformity then this inspection can, subject to certain conditions, be delayed for up to 12 months.

If our interpretation is correct then any person taking delivery of a new tipper from this month on should ensure that he is in possession of a Certificate of Conformity for the installation.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, which also came into force on 5 December, could also affect tipper operation, as part of the act calls for operatives to be given adequate training and instructions. Like all of our competitors we supply operating guidelines for our equipment, but we are so removed from the actual user that we have no way of knowing if the information gets to the operator.

Hauliers should ensure that they receive this information with their new tippers and that the information is passed on to the drivers. We certainly have no objection to our notes being copied and distributed as part of a safety manual.

I would be grateful to hear from legal experts or other interested parties with their thoughts on this legislation. Brian Alcock, Underfloor Tipping Gears, 4 Quarryfield Road, East Gateshead Industrial Estate, Gateshead, 7:wie & Wear i'VE8 38E

Tags

People: Brian Alcock

comments powered by Disqus