Loaded question

Loading and unloading are high-risk operations, where delivery vehicles share space with forklift trucks, factory and warehouse workers, as well as visiting drivers. It comes as no surprise, then, that the stats from the Health and Safety Executive make for grim reading. Confirmed data for 2010/11 shows more than half of workplace fatal injuries were of three types: being struck by vehicles; being struck by falling objects; or falling from height – all of which can, and do, happen when loading and unloading. What's more, handling injuries are the most commonly reported kind of accident, according to RIDDOR figures. Provisional figures just released for the year 2011/12 show little sign of improvement. Despite HSE issuing a checklist and guidance to boost safe operations in this area (see box, opposite), it seems many sites are still failing to prevent damage to vehicles, goods and, worst of all, people. The pressures of ever-tighter timescales undoubtedly tempt some to cut costs and corners, although in many cases, accidents are caused by a genuine desire to help – a visiting driver, for example, decides to help the busy goods-in team and unintentionally places him/herself in danger. Equally, however, delivery drivers leaving their vehicles then become pedestrians, so it is vital they have a clear understanding of the movement of people and the designated safe areas where they should wait for clearance to return to the vehicle. Well-designed physical controls certainly help. Suppliers such as Sara, Castell, Stertil Stokvis and Thorworld offer a range of vehicle restraints, visual aids such as traffic light systems and key control systems. Mark Adams is MD at loading bay equipment manufacturer and Queen's Award winner Transdek. The Harworth, Doncaster-based business was established by Adams 15 years ago. With 50 years' experience under his belt in transport and logistics, Adams says he has pretty much seen it all. "You'd be astonished if you saw some of the practices I've seen at manufacturing sites," he says. Unloading of shipping containers being a case in point: "Very often, these containers arrive with goods which will be added to the range made at the site. The first boxes to be unloaded are 4.2 metres off the ground and companies use all sorts of methods to get up there – I've even seen a guy up a ladder, reaching up and pulling products out." It's not only manual handling that poses a risk, he adds: "At flat sites without loading docks, most use forklift trucks to unload trailers. The forklift goes to the back of the trailer, picks up the first and second pallets, then they put a hand pallet truck in and the operator uses it to pull out the next pallets, often having to turn 180 degrees to place the pallet where the forklift can pick it up." Imagine how difficult this can be in a fully loaded trailer, Adams points out: "I was on a large site last week where this very scenario played out in front of us... I can assure you near misses will be happening every day; accidents are only avoided because the operator is sufficiently alert to jump out of the way." Transdek has a robust but simple answer: the safe loading platform. Ready to use, these units effectively extend the working space at the rear of the vehicle, enabling pallets to be moved and turned more easily. The platform is enclosed by rails to protect the operators; slots beneath the platform enable it to be positioned by forklift truck. The units also have adjustable legs so the height can be matched to the vehicle floor. As Transdek's safe loading platform shows, effective solutions need not be high-tech; sometimes the simplest ideas can make a significant difference. Logistics business Wincanton, for example, designed a small box to hold vehicle keys and prevent drive-aways at one of its sites. Lisa McGrevy, Wincanton's divisional SHEQ manager for retail, explains: "Our vehicle workshop division, Pullman Fleet Services, designed a box which is attached to the side of vehicles. The driver parks and drops his keys into the box – they can't be retrieved until a shunter comes and unlocks the box." The box was designed for a site where drivers were often leaving keys in the ignition: "The shunters are in radio contact with the transport office, so they have a very clear idea of vehicle movements. The driver must get the shunter to release his keys, so this removes the opportunity for error." Ideal for rigids, McGrevy points out solutions such as these are easily transferable and could be used on manufacturing sites, large or small. Other solutions she has seen in action range from full traffic light systems to simple stop signs placed in front of the vehicle, which can only be moved by a forklift so preventing accidental drive-aways. Given their core business, can 3PLs like Wincanton teach manufacturers anything in terms of best practice with loading/unloading safety? McGrevy says all sectors can learn from each other: "While we have the scale and volume, manufacturers have the engineering expertise to come up with solutions and they are used to constantly seeking better ways of doing things." Her colleague Garry Spicer, Wincanton's SHEQ manager for manufacturing, agrees: "The issues will be the same wherever you work, but in a retail distribution environment, for example, the issues are amplified because of volume so any problems might show up sooner than they would on a manufacturing site." Wincanton and contract haulier Gundel Transport were, in fact, recognised last year for their efforts to improve safe unloading for Saint-Gobain PAM UK at its customer sites. The UK division of Saint-Gobain's global pipelines business supplies ductile iron pipes, fittings, valves, covers and grates to utility companies and construction businesses. It has three UK manufacturing sites: Melton Mowbray, which makes access and manhole covers; Telford, for cast iron drainage products; and Ilkeston, Derbyshire, which manufactures pipes and is the head office and central stock ground. It is also home to a warehouse facility for high-value product, but most of the product is stored outside on the stock ground. Half of the product it sells in the UK is made here; the other half is brought in from sister companies in continental Europe and as far afield as China and Brazil. Saint-Gobain PAM's operations and logistics director Ian Walsh says 50,000 tonnes of product was distributed last year from the Ilkeston site. The products present particular handling challenges due to their weight and size, but Walsh says other issues faced are common to many manufacturing sites: "One of the biggest challenges on the inbound side is that lorries come to us from all over the continent, so we are dealing with foreign drivers every day. We've introduced a series of documents in several languages, which include pictures, to explain the site rules. When the trucks arrive, a major risk is unloading product – these are fairly hefty pipes – so we make sure the vehicle is immobilised, it is parked in the right area and the driver has left the cab and is stood in the designated area." As added insurance, chocks are placed under the wheels. Saint-Gobain PAM uses specialist kit to offload the product at Ilkeston, including 28-tonne capacity forklift trucks. It's not so easy delivering product to customers – with delivery often to fields – and it was this that led to the award for the business and its logistics partners, when they worked to improve health and safety in loading, delivering and unloading of large diameter water pipes. Key to this was an unloading boom, developed by Gundel, which is remotely controlled by the vehicle driver at ground level, but other improvements include longer vehicles to increase capacity and reduce damage because there is more space between the pipes. In all, the manufacturer has saved more than 400 man-hours and cut product damage by £12,000 since introducing the changes. "Fortunately, we've not had an accident for many years," says Walsh, though he adds that reports of accidents at similar sites certainly focus the mind. A single, unsecured pipe falling from a trailer could be fatal. "We've had a couple of near misses where goods have fallen off the lifting gear, but luckily people were standing in the right place so were not in danger – in that sense, we know our systems work." In common with other Saint-Gobain group businesses, Saint-Gobain PAM tracks and categorises accidents and hazards from one to five, one being a lost-time accident and five being a hazard. "Every site has targets for hazard reporting – whereas you try to minimise accidents and near misses, you try to maximise the number of potential hazards that are spotted and resolved." That's driven by, among other things, a senior management audit technique ('SMAT') where every manager or supervisor takes time out to observe an individual carrying out his or her daily tasks. Ideas for improvement are then discussed and agreed. Every person has to be 'SMATted' twice a year, says Walsh: "The key thing is we look at behaviour, not just at whether they are wearing the correct PPE or if the stock ground is tidy – those things are important, but we've progressed beyond that." Risks are assessed and assigned a score, calculated on the likelihood of harm and its severity. Each of the site managers is targeted to reduce the risk score by 30% each year. Saint-Gobain PAM's managers have a very clear understanding of all processes on the sites – not just in production, as happens at many other manufacturers, but also the loading and unloading activity on the stock ground and in the warehouse. And on that point, last word goes to Transdek's Mark Adams: "For many site managers, the back of a lorry is very much back of their mind. Very few pay any real attention to how vehicles are loaded or unloaded; fewer still have been to the loading bay or goods-in area to see this taking place." Perhaps now is the time to change that. Check point The Health and Safety Executive's checklist for safe loading and unloading includes the following key points:

• Are loading/unloading operations carried out in an area away from passing traffic, pedestrians and other workers?
• Are the loads, the delivery vehicles and the handling vehicles compatible with each other?
• Are loading/unloading activities carried out on ground that is flat, firm and free from potholes?
• Are parking brakes always used to prevent unwanted movement?
• Are systems in place to prevent trucks driving away while they are still being loaded or unloaded?
• Are lorry drivers kept in a safe place away from the vehicle?
• Has the need for people to go on to the load area of the vehicle been eliminated and, if not, is safe access provided and used?
• Is appropriate lifting equipment available?
• Are checks made to ensure loads are adequately secured in line with the Department for Transport code of practice and not loaded beyond their capacity before the vehicle leaves the site? For the full checklist, with additional guidance on each point, see http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/checklist/section6.htm. Cracking good solution Harrogate-based Manton Eggs is meeting increased demand with a bespoke warehouse extension and vehicle to ground (V2G) lift, designed and installed by loading bay firm Transdek. The entire project was managed by Transdek, from initial consultation through to completion. Manton Eggs makes liquid egg products for food manufacturers and bakeries, and operates one of the UK's largest plants of its type, processing around one million eggs per day. Manton's expansion plans meant it needed to boost its warehousing capabilities to cope with more inbound/outbound deliveries into its new production area and, in doing so, improve loading efficiencies. Transdek installed its V2G lift which enables the company to more effectively unload the products from vehicles to ground level at its flat floor site. The lift design was tailored to meet Manton's requirements and incorporates an inspection area, allowing eggs to be examined prior to entering the plant. Transdek also designed and engineered a warehouse extension to enable direct forklift truck access through an existing, adjacent doorway that was fully enclosed and covered both the warehouse and lift unit. This ensures a safe and secure working environment. The extension incorporates an exterior drainage system along with two roller shutter doors and two high speed doors, all interlocked to maintain an environment unaffected by the outside weather. Emergency egress doors were also built into the unit. As is typical with Transdek products, the V2G was surface mounted, so there was no need for civil engineering. The project was completed and commissioned within five days. Wheel guides installed in the delivery yard to aid smooth vehicle docking and LED traffic lights operate in the two bays. Manton's plant operations manager Mark Openshaw says: "Transdek offered a very cost-effective solution that met or exceeded all our criteria. The entire project was managed seamlessly and quickly. The new extension with V2G lift has significantly improved our operational efficiency and can easily handle our planned growth."