News
Health & Safety Update (February 2010)
Load Safety Campaign: Vehicle Spot Checks
Spot checks on hundreds of vehicles will take place in the
coming weeks as part of a new drive to ensure that loads are being
transported securely.
The Health and Safety Executive's new load safety campaign is
focused on reducing the number of death and injuries linked to
workplace transport.
Loading and unloading accounts for one in five workplace
transport incidents - many resulting from loads not being properly
restrained.
Unsafe loads on vehicles injure more than 1,200 people a year
and cost UK businesses millions of pounds in damaged goods.
There will be eight days of spot checks at locations across the
North West, with officers from the HSE and the Vehicle Operator
Services Agency (VOSA) inspecting the loads of vehicles that have
been pulled over at random.
Similar spot checks took place in April last year with close to
80 per cent of loads found not to be sufficiently restrained.
Drivers who are found to have unsafe loads face fines or even
risk having their vehicle ordered off the road.
As part of the wider 9 week campaign, hauliers and transport
managers will be mailed with guidance and top tips on loading and
unloading safely and radio and trade press adverts will invite
workers to visit www.hse.gov.uk/loadsafety
for more information.
Vehicles are at risk of overturning if a load moves and makes
them unstable. Load shifts can also put those workers who are
unloading the van or lorry at the other end at risk.
Materials falling from vehicles pose a danger to other road
users as well as causing traffic disruption. Apart from this, there
is the cost to business for a lost or damaged load.
John Fitch, VOSA's Research and Development Manager said: "VOSA
and HSE recognise that insecure loads present a great risk to road
safety.
We are keen to participate in HSE's new campaign to highlight
the issues of insecure loads, provide education and information for
the haulage industry and reduce congestion caused by load
loss."
Kate Gibbs, Head of Communication for the Road Haulage
Association said: "A considerable amount of work has been conducted
into load security. Key stakeholders have been involved in
assessing where the main problems are and seeing what can be done
to make improvements.
"Items such as vehicle design and specification including the
correct restraints for specific loads, loading dynamics, route
planning, loader and driver training are just a few of the factors
that need to be considered before loads are despatched".