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Hanson invests in safety
Page 61
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In November 20(13 Hanson Aggregates UK won an award for workplace transport health and safety best practice from the Quarry Products Association, which aims to naive the number of accidents among its 170 members within five years.
Hanson won the QPA award for the Yorkshire and North-East area of its Premix division. General manager Mike Kean and his team have been paying particular attention to the problems of the stability of articulated lorries delivering aggregates to ready-mixed concrete sites, "There had been a number of instances of articulated trucks toppling over" says Kean. "The higher weights now in the industry are part of the problem -we have seen instances of metal fatigue with rams buckling and body mountings shearing."
The design and layout of some of the sites also needed attention, Kean realised: "Some older ramps were put in place when the heaviest truck was a 16-tonner, but what is safe for a lighter truck is not necessarily safe for a 32-tonne eight-wheeler." So ramps have been reprofiled to accommodate heavier weights. Other safety measures include repositioning toilets and canteens so they are well away from working areas and relocating stock bays so they are on even ground and safer for drivers to discharge loads into. There is a separate area for drivers to carry out sheeting activites.
There are also 'site exclusion zones', designed to separate site workers from tipping operations, and Hanson has introduced restraint cages for tipping bays. These comprise steel posts that are designed to help restrain vehicles that may start to topple sideways, preventing serious harm to anyone passing.
Hanson is also investing in driver training as part of the Haulier's Passport Scheme, a separate training initiative for drivers, to raise driver awareness of on-site safety. There are hints that drivers who cannot prove they have attended a course on site health and safety may eventually be refused entry. For tipper operators, of course, time is money, so even if the course is free there is the question of lost working time.
Admirably, Hanson is paying for all its 1,250 franchisees and their drivers to attend a oneday course: "We run a large franchise operation, but even so there is a shortage of drivers. We have to control them and minimise the on-site risk to them. We are paying owner-drivers the daily rate, less an element for fuel and vehicle wear and tear. So far we have put 30% of drivers who use our sites through the programme, and all drivers using our sites will have completed the scheme by spring 2004", One of the main themes of the programme is called Take One': Were asking drivers to take a minute to think about what they are about to do and the potential risk involved. It can be something as simple as thinking about footwear to avoid slips and fails, or ensuring they are parked on level ground before tipping."
Recognising that safety requires constant reminders to avoid complacency, Hanson is even issuing drivers with a calendar that has a different safety theme for each month.