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Road haulage can be an industry fraught with danger when an inexperienced or “cowboy” block haulage company cuts corners or ignores basic health and safety measures. We urge any homeowner or company to choose their brick haulage firm carefully. If you choose an accident-prone provider, there’s a high likelihood you’ll be inconvenienced in some way or another. For example, they might damage the goods you’re paying them to transport.
Below, we’ve run through some of the guidelines which the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) issues every brick haulage company in the UK, from Hampshire to the far reaches of Scotland. With nearly 50 years’ experience in the industry, we’ve made a habit of following them closely, and this approach is reflected in our immaculate track record.
Identifying Hazards
Every block haulage company needs to be aware of the most common causes of injury and fatality in the road haulage sector. Most injuries can be placed within the four following categories:
• Slips and trips
• Struck by falling/moving objects
• Falls from under 2m
• Manual handling accidents
Most accidents occur during the loading/unloading stages of brick haulage, so it’s essential that all staff are especially careful during these phases, going about their work in a careful and methodical manner.
Steward Transport regularly carries out risk assessments to see how we can improve health and safety within our Hampshire operations. We have found that by keeping a clean and organised site around our vehicles, and by investing heavily in ongoing staff development, we have minimised the risk of the accidents listed above.
HSE’s Block Haulage Safety Checklist
Elaborating on the above, HSE made an extensive, in-depth health and safety checklist for road haulage companies to consult. As a time-served brick haulage company, we are well acquainted with it and have used it to ensure we’re “watertight” when it comes to health and safety.
The full list features 30 points, covering workplace transport risks, risk of falling and manual handling risks. Below, we’ve listed some of the included items, to demonstrate the importance of choosing a reputable and above-board block haulage company, like Steward Transport (we cover Hampshire and all of the UK).
• Mechanical aids and full and proper training should be provided to assist all road haulage staff with manual handling tasks
• A system should be put in place to check whether a load has shifted in transit
• Vehicle transporters should be fitted with guardrails on the upper deck
• Safe access solutions should be provided wherever possible, such as to safely deal with high-level storage
• Steps should be fitted for access to a vehicle’s bed, so staff don’t need to jump or climb up and down
• All yard and loading areas should be well lit and kept clean/tidy
• Outside loading during periods of inclement weather should be avoided
• Reversing should be minimised and additional mirrors or CCTV systems used when required
• All drivers should be experienced and tested for competence
For more information about how our brick haulage company ensures a safe and risk-free service for our Hampshire clients, give us a call.
TELEPHONE:
01892 835067
ADDRESS:
Durrants Farm,
Maidstone Road,
Paddock Wood,
Tonbridge,
Kent TN12 6QN
E-MAIL:
admin@stewardtransport.com
