Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Health and Safety
Executive
779 Curtain-sided trucks are often unloaded during darkness – for example, during
the early morning in winter. Drivers should be ready to feel along curtains and tap
at bulges. Ideally, unloading should always happen in places with enough lighting
for this to be unnecessary. Outside lighting or hand-held torches or lamps can help
identify the condition of a load.
Figure 47 Securing rollcages in a curtainslider
780 Loads should be secured or arranged so that they do not slide around.
Racking may make loads more stable.
781 Curtain-sided vehicles are often unloaded using fork-lift trucks, as they are very
suitable vehicles for moving loads on pallets.
782 Wherever fork-lift trucks are used, you should make sure drivers are aware
of the trucks, are kept out of harm’s way and do not drive away while the fork-lift
truck is still unloading.
783 When using fork-lift trucks, it is essential to consider:
n how much the truck can lift;
n the size and spread of the forks; and
n the ground the truck is being used on.
784 It is essential that the vehicle and any attachment used for a job are suitable.
785 Long items can fall off forks if they are not balanced properly and, in particular,
if the forks are too close together. Also, they may fall off the forks if the truck is
driven too quickly around corners or over rough ground.
786 Attachments such as side-shift forks and load clamps can help to make
sure that long loads can be handled safely. As well as being trained in using the
trucks and their attachments, drivers should also be competent to handle routinely
supplied long or awkwardly shaped items and should be instructed in safe systems
of work.
Safe drivers
787 Drivers should be given clear instructions and training on how to safely secure
every type of load they carry.
788 Both site workers and delivery drivers should be prepared to refuse to allow
loading or unloading (or to stop loading or unloading) if they think risks demand
this. They should know that they will have the support of their employer if they do
this. Everyone involved in a delivery or collection should agree to this principle when
arrangements are being made.
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