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P SAFE i
Page 10
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Trucks are still being Loaded dangerously
By Chris Tindall.
THOUSANDS OF injuries and deaths are being caused by an -alarming" number of lorries not being loaded safely, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
A joint VOSA and HSE operation over three days, at sites in Wrexham, Birmingham and Humberside, found that more than three quarters of vehicles stopped were flouting safety laws and putting loading staff, as well as motorists, at risk.
During the past three years alone, 14 people have been killed and more than 2,000 have been injured by cargo falling from lorries when they were being loaded or unloaded. In the recent operation, more than 30 lorries were driving with unsafe loads.
The HSF's head of injury reduction, Marcia Davies, says: "Although this was a relatively small number of checks, the proportion of vehicles with a problem is alarming. A significant number of manual handling injuries, falls from heights and accidents caused by falling objects result from poorly restrained loads shifting in transit."
A spokeswoman for the Freight Transport Association says: "ft is of major concern that people are still being killed by something that can be prevented so easily."
Further VOSA/HSE roadside checks are now being planned.
• Turn to page 26 for CM's advice on keeping your loads secure and your staff safe.