Title: A sub-contract haulier delivering palletised building products to a major builders merchant was hit by a reversing forklift truck during vehicle off-load. The driver had remained in his cab, but on seeing a loose strap on the floor, got out of the
1A briefing tool for managers
Last year a driver working for a contractor
driving a 8 wheeled tipper was travelling
through a town centre when he was involved in
a fatal collision with a pedestrian. Due to
temporary road works, the driver was in a queue
of slow moving traffic and when the traffic came
to a halt, he had stopped on the pedestrian
crossing, closely behind one of his colleagues in
a similar vehicle. When the traffic started
moving again, the driver moved off at which
point he collided with a 83 year old woman who
was crossing, with the aid of a walking frame,
in front of his vehicle. Sadly, she died from
her injuries. The driver has recently been
charged with death by driving without due care
and attention .
WATCH YOUR BLIND SPOT!
SAFE DRIVING TIPS
- Weather driving an LGV or a car , when driving in
busy areas, particularly in built-up town
centres, you need to be aware of the hazards
which can arise from the sides of the road.
Dangers come from anywhere, but you will
generally have less time to react to hazards
coming from the nearside. In narrow roads and
one-way systems you need to be equally attentive
to both sides of the road. - Roadside Hazards
- Common roadside hazards that you should be aware
of are - Pedestrians, especially children, steeping off
the footpath - Parked vehicles and their occupants
- Cyclists, especially children
- Concealed junctions
- If you identify hazards on the nearside, try and
steer a course closer to the middle of the road.
This has two benefits - It gives you a better view
- It provides more space in which to take avoiding
action should this become necessary. - As a driver of an LGV, this is not always
possible. If oncoming traffic makes it unsafe to
adopt this position or if the road is too narrow,
reduce your speed. The less space you have the
slower you should go - When driving along a row of parked vehicles get
into the habit of asking yourself Could I stop
in time if a child ran out? - FACT - One third of children involved in road
accidents did not look first.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WHAT IS IT?
Equipment to Protect YOU Personally!
A sub-contract haulier delivering palletised
building products to a major builders merchant
was hit by a reversing forklift truck during
vehicle off-load. The driver had remained in his
cab, but on seeing a loose strap on the floor,
got out of the vehicle to move it. At this point,
the forklift truck was reversing and collided
with the driver who was unable to get out of the
path of the forklift. The driver sustained a
broken ankle and leg and was off work for several
weeks. The driver had not been wearing hi-vis at
the time of the incident even though this was a
site requirement and a company minimum standard.
A truck mixer driver got out of his vehicle on
site and stepped onto a slightly raised build-up
of material. The driver went over on his ankle
sustaining a break. The weather conditions were
dry, yet the driver was wearing rigger style
wellingtons rather than the required lace up
safety boots. On investigation, the middle step
of the vehicle did not appear as worn as the top
or bottom step suggesting that it wasnt used
very often.
2Preparation This stop and think talk can be used
individually or with a group of drivers. It could
be delivered in the vicinity of a vehicle to
enable wider discussion of other issues, taking
care that the area is isolated from traffic and
people can hear what you are saying. Participants
should receive a copy of the talk for their CPD
files as well as signing the training
declaration. Introduction (After reading out the
case studies) In 2005 MYSPACE was introduced as
an aid for LGV drivers to manage their safety on
site whilst carrying out their daily duties. This
involved carrying out a 1-2 minute risk
assessment before carrying out any task on site
and encouraged the use of the Near Miss Hazard
Alert process to highlight and improve those
conditions. Even though the MYSPACE initiative
was initially a success there are still incidents
occurring which could quite easily be avoided
these result in both personal injury and property
damage. The principles of MYSPACE can easily be
adopted on the road too, by just taking that
little bit extra time to look ahead, look around
you and ask yourself How Can I Be Hurt,
What/Who can enter or influence what I do in
MYSPACE and Who/What can be injured / damaged in
MYSPACE
THE TALK
Use the questions below to open the discussion
under each heading and then go through the lists
explaining in detail each hazard / control and
what is expected
- Hazards
- Question 1 What are the hazards you face
everyday on the road? - Actions of other drivers sharp braking, lane
discipline, travelling too close - Vulnerable road users horse-riders, cyclists,
pedestrians, children - Fatigue / Stress
- Adverse weather conditions
- Distractions
- Congestion / road works
- Concealed junctions
- Vehicle Breakdowns
- Controls
- Question 2 What are the controls of these
hazards - Concentration and anticipation always expect
the unexpected? Leave sufficient space between
you and the vehicle in front in case you need to
stop suddenly - Give vulnerable road users that extra bit of
room where possible. Slow right down do not
assume that they have seen you because of your
size. Children in particular can be very
unpredictable - Dont drive tired. Take your legal breaks
inline with EU driving hours and working time
directive. Fresh air and plenty of coffee are
not a remedy for fatigue only sleep - Drive in accordance with the weather conditions
slow right down if necessary and use your
lights when visibility requires them - Avoid distractions such as mobile phones, sat
navs and loud music. Do not fiddle with the
radio, eat or drink keep your hands on the
wheel and your eyes on the road.
- Take extra caution on busy roads and at road
works. If you travel through an area where
particular hazards exist, inform others about
them back at site. Notices can be put up to warn
other drivers or special instructions can be put
on delivery tickets. If training a new driver,
advise them of the regular hotspots - Plan ahead and be aware of vehicles pulling out
at concealed junctions. Look for clues such as a
single lamp post on its own can depict the exit
point of a junction - Vehicle breakdowns are not uncommon and can
happen at any time to you or other road users.
Always carry out a pre-start check before
commencing work and during the course of the day
walk around and check your vehicle - Concentration and anticipation always expect
the unexpected.
Question 3 How Can PPE help you? PPE is defined
as all equipment which is intended to be worn or
held by a person at work and which protects them
against one of more risks to their health and
safety. We will shortly be bringing out new PPE
rules to improve the standard of protection
currently maintained. The example overleaf
explains how a driver may have avoided injury had
he been wearing hi-visibility clothing. We now
consider that the level of visibility in wearing
a hi-vis waistcoat is not sufficient and
standards will be long sleeve Class 3 hi-vis top
and also Class 3 hi-vis trousers. Wellingtons
should only be worn in exceptional circumstances.
Statistics prove that since the ban on rigger
boots, foot and ankle injures have
decreased 1.Clarify any points as required 2.Ask
if there are any other safety related issues that
should be discussed 3.Thank everyone for their
participation
3The people listed below have received
instruction in MYSPACE as detailed on the
previous pages. By signing below they are
confirming that they understand the safe systems
of working discussed and will adhere to these in
the workplace.
Date Name Signature Instructed by