A briefing tool for managers

1. A briefing tool for managers Last year a driver working for a contractor driving a 8 wheeled tipper was travelling through a town centre when he was involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian. Due to temporary road works, the driver was in a queue of slow moving traffic and when the traffic came to a halt, he had stopped on the pedestrian crossing, closely behind one of his colleagues in a similar vehicle. When the traffic started moving again, the driver moved off at which point he collided with a 83 year old woman who was crossing, with the aid of a walking frame, in front of his vehicle. Sadly, she died from her injuries. The driver has recently been charged with death by driving without due care and attention . WATCH YOUR BLIND SPOT! SAFE DRIVING TIPS • Weather driving an LGV or a car , when driving in busy areas, particularly in built-up town centres, you need to be aware of the hazards which can arise from the sides of the road. Dangers come from anywhere, but you will generally have less time to react to hazards coming from the nearside. In narrow roads and one-way systems you need to be equally attentive to both sides of the road. • Roadside Hazards • Common roadside hazards that you should be aware of are: • Pedestrians, especially children, steeping off the footpath • Parked vehicles and their occupants • Cyclists, especially children • Concealed junctions • If you identify hazards on the nearside, try and steer a course closer to the middle of the road. This has two benefits: • It gives you a better view • It provides more space in which to take avoiding action should this become necessary. • As a driver of an LGV, this is not always possible. If oncoming traffic makes it unsafe to adopt this position or if the road is too narrow, reduce your speed. The less space you have the slower you should go • When driving along a row of parked vehicles get into the habit of asking yourself ‘Could I stop in time if a child ran out?’ • FACT - One third of children involved in road accidents did not look first. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT – WHAT IS IT? Equipment to Protect YOU Personally! A sub-contract haulier delivering palletised building products to a major builders merchant was hit by a reversing forklift truck during vehicle off-load. The driver had remained in his cab, but on seeing a loose strap on the floor, got out of the vehicle to move it. At this point, the forklift truck was reversing and collided with the driver who was unable to get out of the path of the forklift. The driver sustained a broken ankle and leg and was off work for several weeks. The driver had not been wearing hi-vis at the time of the incident even though this was a site requirement and a company minimum standard. A truck mixer driver got out of his vehicle on site and stepped onto a slightly raised build-up of material. The driver went over on his ankle sustaining a break. The weather conditions were dry, yet the driver was wearing rigger style wellingtons rather than the required lace up safety boots. On investigation, the middle step of the vehicle did not appear as worn as the top or bottom step suggesting that it wasn’t used very often.

2. Preparation This stop and think talk can be used individually or with a group of drivers. It could be delivered in the vicinity of a vehicle to enable wider discussion of other issues, taking care that the area is isolated from traffic and people can hear what you are saying. Participants should receive a copy of the talk for their CPD files as well as signing the training declaration. Introduction (After reading out the case studies) In 2005 MYSPACE was introduced as an aid for LGV drivers to manage their safety on site whilst carrying out their daily duties. This involved carrying out a 1-2 minute risk assessment before carrying out any task on site and encouraged the use of the Near Miss Hazard Alert process to highlight and improve those conditions. Even though the MYSPACE initiative was initially a success there are still incidents occurring which could quite easily be avoided – these result in both personal injury and property damage. The principles of MYSPACE can easily be adopted on the road too, by just taking that little bit extra time to look ahead, look around you and ask yourself – How Can I Be Hurt, What/Who can enter or influence what I do in MYSPACE and Who/What can be injured / damaged in MYSPACE THE TALK Use the questions below to open the discussion under each heading and then go through the lists explaining in detail each hazard / control and what is expected • Hazards • Question 1 – What are the hazards you face everyday on the road? • Actions of other drivers – sharp braking, lane discipline, travelling too close • Vulnerable road users – horse-riders, cyclists, pedestrians, children • Fatigue / Stress • Adverse weather conditions • Distractions • Congestion / road works • Concealed junctions • Vehicle Breakdowns • Controls • Question 2 – What are the controls of these hazards • Concentration and anticipation – always expect the unexpected? Leave sufficient space between you and the vehicle in front in case you need to stop suddenly • Give vulnerable road users that extra bit of room where possible. Slow right down; do not assume that they have seen you because of your size. Children in particular can be very unpredictable • Don’t drive tired. Take your legal breaks inline with EU driving hours and working time directive. Fresh air and plenty of coffee are not a remedy for fatigue – only sleep • Drive in accordance with the weather conditions – slow right down if necessary and use your lights when visibility requires them • Avoid distractions such as mobile phones, sat navs and loud music. Do not fiddle with the radio, eat or drink – keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. • Take extra caution on busy roads and at road works. If you travel through an area where particular hazards exist, inform others about them back at site. Notices can be put up to warn other drivers or special instructions can be put on delivery tickets. If training a new driver, advise them of the regular hotspots • Plan ahead and be aware of vehicles pulling out at concealed junctions. Look for clues such as a single lamp post on its own can depict the exit point of a junction • Vehicle breakdowns are not uncommon and can happen at any time to you or other road users. Always carry out a pre-start check before commencing work and during the course of the day walk around and check your vehicle • Concentration and anticipation – always expect the unexpected. Question 3 – How Can PPE help you? PPE is defined as ‘all equipment which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects them against one of more risks to their health and safety’. We will shortly be bringing out new PPE rules to improve the standard of protection currently maintained. The example overleaf explains how a driver may have avoided injury had he been wearing hi-visibility clothing. We now consider that the level of visibility in wearing a hi-vis waistcoat is not sufficient and standards will be long sleeve Class 3 hi-vis top and also Class 3 hi-vis trousers. Wellingtons should only be worn in exceptional circumstances. Statistics prove that since the ban on rigger boots, foot and ankle injures have decreased 1.Clarify any points as required 2.Ask if there are any other safety related issues that should be discussed 3.Thank everyone for their participation

3. The people listed below have received instruction in MYSPACE as detailed on the previous pages. By signing below they are confirming that they understand the safe systems of working discussed and will adhere to these in the workplace.