Health and Safety News

Just as they did in April of the previous year officials of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will conduct spot checks on vehicles carrying loads that are not properly secured. They will be working in tandem with the officials of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

The aim of the campaign, which will commence in the North West region of the country and go on for eight days, will be to check if load safety norms are being adhered to by hauliers and other transporters. The campaign which is intended to cover the country is likely to be carried out over a period of nine weeks.

According to statistics given out by the HSE, injuries occur to more than 1200 people every year. More than a million pounds worth of losses are suffered annually owing to improper loading and unloading of goods.

HSE and VOSA officials will check vehicles in a random manner to see if there are proper restraints on the goods being carried. Where there is clear evidence of unsafe loading, fines will be imposed on the drivers or the business owners. The penalty could be as stiff as ordering the vehicle off the road.

The previous year’s campaign disclosed that 80% of the vehicles were found to have unsafe loads, a figure that the HSE hopes will not be reached this year.

The nine week campaign also hopes to educate hauliers and transporters in load safety norms through adverts on the radio and in trade journals. The official website of the HSE will give guidance on loading safety at www.hse.gov.uk/loadsafety

VOSA’s Research and Development Manager, John Fitch, is of the view that the campaign will effectively address the issue of insecure loading of goods and help in the reduction of losses arising from improper loading by carriers.