Ruth Gibbs

Ruth Gibbs

Unsteady Loads Can Raise Chance Of Car Accidents

More than three quarters of vehicles, which have been stopped during safety checks in England and Wales were found to be loaded in an unsafe; putting motorists and loading staff at risk of having a car">car accident.

These findings were revealed after officials from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA), stopped 40 vehicles during three days of checks in locations across England and Wales.

Although the majority needed remedial action to make the load safe for onward travel and unloading, in most cases, drivers were able to solve the problem safely within minutes. Its success has prompted further checks to be made.

During the last three years, 14 people have died and more than 2,000 people have been injured by cargo that has fallen from vehicles when they are being loaded or unloaded.

Load safety can lower risk of accidents

Marcia Davies, Head of Injury Reduction at HSE, said: "Although this was a relatively small number of checks the proportion of vehicles with a problem is alarming. The fatal and serious injuries suffered during loading and unloading are needless tragedies and lives are often shattered as a result. Taking simple safety measures can avoid this misery.

Marcia also added: "Vehicles which are loaded safely for the road can usually be safely unloaded at the workplace - and vice versa. A significant number of manual handling injuries, falls from heights and accidents caused by falling objects result from poorly restrained loads shifting in transit. HSE will be launching a campaign offering guidance and advice on loading and unloading later this year."

John Fitch, VOSA's Research and Development Manager said: "VOSA and HSE recognise that insecure loads present a great risk to road safety. We are keen to participate in HSE's new campaign to highlight the issues of insecure loads, provide education and information for the haulage industry and reduce congestion caused by load loss."

Badly secured loads placed on vehicles pose a number of risks include the possibility of shedding loads while the motor is moving. This can lead to endangering other road users, causing traffic disruption and car accidents. Also vehicles can overturn when they become unstable, if loads are not securely attached a load shifting in transit. This again has been found to increase the likelihood of having an accident.

Necessary improvements required

Kate Gibbs, from the Road Haulage Association, said: "A considerable amount of work has been conducted on the important issue of load restraint. Key stakeholders have been involved in assessing where the main problems are and looking at how we bring about the necessary improvement required.

She also said: "Items such as vehicle design and specification, including the correct restraints for specific loads, loading dynamics, route planning, loader and driver training are just a few of the factors requiring consideration prior to dispatching loads."

In addition, Jo Tanner, of the Freight Transport Association (FTA), said: "Lorries that are overloaded or badly loaded can present a real health risk, if they are not managed properly, both during unloading and while in transit. It is of major concern that people are still being killed by something that can be prevented so easily and we fully support the work of HSE and VOSA to help reduce future tragedies occurring."

About the Author

Financial and legel writer

July '05 - 2/5, Ruth Gibbs, Gay Straight Alliance Los Altos High School