Safer delivery and collection of goods

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), around 70 people are killed and 2,000 seriously injured in accidents involving vehicles in and around workplaces every year in the UK, with a "significant number" occurring during deliveries and collections.

This led the HSE to commission researchers from Partnership Sourcing Ltd (PSL) to gather views from drivers of heavy goods and other delivery vehicles on the worst type of risks, and where and why they might arise.

The HSE's Carol Grainger said that the most striking and disappointing point to emerge from the research was a lack of communication between the drivers' companies and the owners of the sites being visited, despite this being required under health and safety regulations.

She said: "It seems that many of the problems encountered could be mitigated by the parties involved talking to one another. This is one of the messages we will be promoting in the months to come."

Overall PSL made 18 recommendations for the HSE to follow up. The HSE said the findings would help it to improve the health and safety provisions for drivers carrying out delivery and collection operations.

Structured system

Among the recommendations made by PSL were the promotion of procedures to ensure that loading was completed and that it was safe to leave.

A number of safety systems were mentioned to the researchers, such as trailer locks and traffic lights in operation at larger sites. PSL said that some smaller premises were also operating simple procedures, such as retaining the keys or placing a signboard in front of the lorry, until everything was clear.

However, many sites "did not appear to have any structured system in place," said the research report.

Another major recommendation was the need to raise public awareness concerning the limitations and differences in heavy goods vehicles in terms of their manoeuvrability and drivers' fields of vision.

Other issues identified in the report included the wearing of high visibility jackets, improved lighting, training, parking on the public highway, signposting and the segregation of pedestrians.

Online advice

Also this week the HSE has added new advice to the workplace transport section of its website, covering better co-operation on collection and delivery between 'duty holders'.

It identified the three key duty holders as "the supplier", "the carrier" and "the recipient", adding that a "common factor" in delivery accidents was a lack of any agreement between the parties as to "who is responsible for what" in terms of safety.

The HSE pointed out that while the safety of an employee was primarily the responsibility of his or her employer, those in charge of any site visited by others were also responsible for the safety of everyone on the premises.

"Irresponsible employers may use this overlap in responsibilities as an excuse for not doing more to protect those involved in deliveries. This overlap can cause dangerous misunderstandings unless all parties exchange information about the main risks involved, and agree who will do what to control risks."

The new guidance, which can be viewed via the link provided above/right, outlines several steps considered by the HSE to "reasonably practicable" for all duty holders to undertake.