Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Health and Safety
Executive
Loading and unloading, and load
safety
Common risks
735 Loading and unloading can be very dangerous. Machinery can seriously hurt
people. Heavy loads, moving or overturning vehicles and working at height can all
lead to fatal or serious injuries.
736 One of the four most common types of vehicle accident at work is people
being hit by objects falling from vehicles.
737 People involved in loading or unloading often work close to moving lift trucks,
which pose a high risk of hitting them or otherwise injuring them.
738 You should pay particular attention to the dangers of high loads that might
have to pass under bridges, overhead power cables, parts of buildings, pipework,
trees, and so on. These can catch loads or high vehicles, causing serious accidents
(often involving falling loads).
739 The heavier the load, the greater the chance of it shifting when being
transported. The weight of a load alone can’t be relied on to stop it shifting.
For example, dust, dirt or oil on the loading surface can reduce the amount of
grip a load has, and can make it much more likely to slide around when being
transported.
740 It is much harder to stop a load once it has started to shift. Keeping the load
still on the vehicle (and, where possible, secure) is the best way to make sure it
does not shift dangerously.
741 It is common practice to use sheeting hooks to secure loads. These hooks
are not designed to bear heavy loads, and may be in the wrong places to secure a
load safely. They should never be used for this purpose.
742 Communication is very important for safe loading and unloading. There may be
several people involved, often working for different employers and sometimes even
speaking different languages.
743 Loading in a way that will allow for efficient unloading (for example, in reverse
delivery order) will cut down the amount of double handling.
Case study 13
The driver of a lift truck was injured when he was struck by a pallet falling
from the back of the goods vehicle he was unloading.
The goods vehicle was loaded with pallets of flat-packed cardboard boxes,
packed three pallets high. The forks did not reach high enough to unload the
top pallet, so the driver tried to unload the top two pallets in one go. The top
pallet toppled and fell approximately 3 m, hitting the driver.
The lift truck did not have enough reach and was therefore not suitable
for the task. A lift truck with protection against falling objects was also
needed for work where objects could fall on the driver. It is the employer’s
responsibility to provide equipment that is suitable for its intended use.
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