Cargo Security and Manual Handling
Cargo Security
Most goods are not considered sufficiently
dangerous to require special precautions during carriage, however, some have properties which will need special attention
and could posed danger to environment when carried.
VEGHS personnel
ensures that loads are safely anchored to the vehicle and that the vehicle is strong enough or within the allowed limit to
take the strain.
Carrying goods
by road involves the risk of traffic accidents. The risk of an incident is also a possibility, such as spillage of the goods,
leading to hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burn and environmental damage.
The
following are the measures designed for reducing accidents;
- Get advance information
from target companies, about facilities of delivery and off-loading arrangements on their site, so that loading can be designed
accordingly.
- Good loading strategy
of VEGHS is to load its cargo such that it is can be transforted safely as well as easy
and safe for offloading. Loads
must be securely anchored at the truck load flatform that there will be no possibility load shiftting while
in transit.
- The anchor points must
be designed to spread the weight and forces they receive into the main structure of the vehicle. Each anchor points must not
have moving parts. However if it has to move, they should move as little as possible especially when loaded, as any movement
will seriously reduce effectiveness of anchoring the load.
- Check and double check
if possible, how the load is anchored even the load is light in weight, never rely on the truck side railings to hold the
load in place.
- Drivers should ensure
that loaded truck is parked on a safe area, it should not be in an area where it could be hit accidentally by a fork lift
truck or or any falling load and object.
- Report near misses,
incident and damaged equipment as soon as possible so that proper action must be taken on timely basis.
Manual Handling
Lifting
and moving the cargo manually or by hand is the main cause of accidents in the ‘freight by road’ industry. Bad
backs and broken bones were the most common injury. VEGHS identify some measures to minimize, if not totally eliminate it.
The
following are the VEGHS measures to reduce risks;
- All personnel should
first identify the tasks which will present the greatest risk before proceeding on.
- Consider the hazards
in lifting and moving the cargoes on each and every occasions. Check the pavement at the delivery end, it should be level
and free from potholes and obstruction.
- Consider whether a
load can be palletized to make it easier to load and unload using forklifts machine. This can save a lot of time and money,
as well as avoiding untoward incidents.
- Whenever available,
consider using mechanical aids, such as vehicle mounted hydraulic hoists, portable roller conveyors, pallet trucks,
scissor lifts and customized trolleys.
- Report any incidents/accident
or near misses, we all have to learn on these experiences this could lead us to a more safe working acts in future
deliveries.