Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Health and Safety
Executive
957 If a load does freeze, the body needs to be lowered and the rest of the load
loosened before the body is raised again.
958 The operator should never try to dislodge a frozen load without lowering the
body first.
Case study 14
A self-employed lorry driver suffered a broken leg when scrap steel fell from
the trailer of his vehicle.
Some scrap steel had stuck in the vehicle trailer after tipping. The driver
re-tipped the trailer and then, without lowering the trailer, walked round
behind it to check that the scrap was discharged. Some scrap dislodged
and fell on to him.
When he realised that some scrap had stuck in the trailer, the driver should
have lowered the trailer body and freed the remaining load before re-tipping.
959 The driver should always give the vehicle a wide berth around the sides and at
the back, in case a stuck load suddenly moves.
960 The vehicle should never be driven to shake free a stuck load. No one should
enter the body of a tipper lorry to free a stuck load while the body is raised, as
there is a risk of the load falling and harming someone.
961 Drivers should also not have to hold onto a pipe or a nozzle, as this places
them in a dangerous position, close to both the discharging load and to any static
build-up.
962 Drivers should pay attention to filling gauges and alarms wherever appropriate.
963 Drivers should not be expected to work in areas where there is a lot of dust,
without an appropriate mask.
964 Spilled loads of any kind should be avoided and should be cleaned up as soon
as it is safe to do so.
965 After releasing the load the driver should always make sure that the body is
completely empty.
966 The driver should not drive more than a few metres forward to make sure the
load is clear, and should only do this after checking that the load is at the bottom of
the tipped body. If the driver has to leave the cab to do this, they should fully apply
the brakes, turn off the engine and
(if possible) remove the keys. Again, the vehicle will always need to be given a wide
berth.
967 The engine power should never be shifted back to the road wheels while the
tipping pump is still in gear.
968 If the vehicle begins to topple over, the driver should brace themselves against
the back of the driver’s seat and hold firmly on to the steering wheel. The driver
should never try to jump out of a lorry that is falling over.
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