Vehicles

How often have you seen an HGV driver or a driver of any large vehicle standing on the platform with nothing to protect them? There have been numerous occasions when drivers have fallen off the back of their vehicles. So what they need is some form of protection equipment fitted, a restraint system, so they are still flexible, allows them to operate, but will hopefully stop them from falling. Also, there can be some vehicles that have actually been adapted to ensure that the driver does not fall off the back. Barriers have been fitted with kick plates as well. It may be that a person is going to use a vehicle such as the mobile elevated working platform. These vehicles can be quite safe but have been known to topple over. This is when fall prevention, use of a restraint system, is vital to ensure that the person driving the vehicle does not fall out. 

There have been many occasions when these have toppled over, overturning, people have been thrown in from the basket. Fall from use, as we shorten the word for, is down to a sudden movement caused by an impact, ground movement, failure of critical parts, people overreaching, no fall protection wall. So when we use additional equipment or a vehicle, make sure you have done your risk assessment. Think about, "Again, can I eliminate or control that risk?"

And we can split the control measures into three areas; safe plant, safe site, safe operator. Look at a safe plant then ensure that work has been planned, maintenance has been carried out, all the checks have been done on the vehicle. It is important that as an operator that you have been trained and authorised to use that piece of equipment. Do your daily checks; make sure that any fault is recorded, and only operate it within its safe limits.