Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Tipping
Common risks
888 Tipping can be dangerous, especially if it is not done carefully.
Health and Safety
Executive
889 Each year, a significant number of tipping vehicles (including rigid-body lorries,
tipping trailers and tankers) overturn. Overturns usually have the potential to kill
people. Overturns can be the result of a number of different problems:
n Poorly maintained tipping vehicles and under-trained operators are common
causes of accidents during tipping.
n Imbalanced loads can make vehicles unstable. There are a lot of reasons why
a load can be imbalanced, including bad loading or trimming, shifting, or parts
of the load ‘freezing’ during tipping (becoming stuck in the upper part of the
tipping body, above the centre of gravity).
n Loads can shift around and settle while being transported – especially bulk
powder, flakes, grains, rubble etc. This can make different parts of the vehicle
heavier, and can also lead to different parts of the load freezing during tipping,
which can put the vehicle off balance. There may be a higher risk of this if a
load has different densities, such as builders’ rubble.
n Uneven tipping surfaces can put a vehicle off balance, or unsuitable ground can
give way, especially under very heavy vehicles.
n Tipping often involves reversing, sometimes towards steep slopes. Vehicles can
reverse too far. There are also the usual risks caused by poor visibility during
reversing, such as hitting people or other objects.
n Tipping lorries can hit overhead obstructions. These can include power lines,
with the risk of electrifying the vehicle and any people who touch it.
890 Loads can be very dangerous as they are unloaded.
891 If the vehicle has not been properly prepared, discharging loads can damage
parts such as hatches or tailgates, or a quickly sliding load can cause a vacuum
behind it, which can suck in sheeting and damage the vehicle.
892 If a load is too high for a bar across the discharge area, it can stick or break
the bar.
893 If the load does strike the tailgate with more force than the vehicle is designed
to manage, it could break the tailgate, or force the tipping body to break away from
the tipping ram and be thrown backwards.
894 Some tipper lorries have partitioned bodies, to keep sections of load separate.
Partitioned loads need to be handled with caution, and care needs to be taken to
keep loads well distributed and to make sure that axles are not overloaded.
895 Partitions should never be released while the body is tipped, as different parts
of the vehicle may not be able to deal with the effect of the moving load and the
vehicle balance can be seriously affected.
896 There is a risk that partition doors (especially at the back of the vehicle) can
spring open if too much weight is put against them.
897 People should be kept well clear, to avoid being hit by loads.
Workplace transport safety Page 107 of 144