Out of the top ten most dangerous jobs in Britain, three of them involve working at height – construction, roofing and scaffolding, and lorry driving – and these heights are not always what we consider significant.
Quite often, serious injuries and deaths occur from falls from as low as five feet, such as those from the back trays and trailers of stationary lorries. In fact, a staggering 90% of falls occur from below head height.
In a recent report—Falls from vehicles – toolbox talk for construction workers—the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identifies over 200 ‘falls from vehicle’ accidents each year, including an average of 5 fatalities.
A case in point, from kentlivenews.com –
In January 2017, a man in his 20s sustained what was feared to be serious pelvic and back injuries, after what was initially thought to be a fall from a ladder. Upon arrival, emergency services found that the man had fallen from the rear platform of the lorry he was working on.
Needless to say, this incident was avoidable with the use of proper height access and edge protection systems. But it is also easy to understand the lack of infrastructure, such as truck loading platforms, companies have when working on site, away from their depots.
It could be suggested that for companies who rely on lorry fleets for their business to assess their surroundings for safety and efficiency opportunities – hand-manoeuvrable loading platforms for more permanent environments like loading bays, and easily-installed lightweight edge protection barriers for work done anywhere.
With the HSE suggesting that businesses consider ways to improve access to lorries, London height access provider SafeSmart Access are poised to provide the solutions. Their loading platforms are designed to be lightweight yet strong, with weatherproof aluminium construction. With this market infiltration, truck loading platforms are set to become a normal sight across the UK.
