Three quarters of vehicles dangerously loaded

Officials from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) in a joint effort stopped 40 vehicles during three days of checks in Wrexham, Birmingham and Humberside. Although the majority needed remedial action to make the load safe for onward travel and unloading, in most cases drivers were able to solve the problem within minutes. Further checks are now planned. During the last three years, 14 people have been killed and more than 2,00 people have been injured by cargo falling from vehicles when they are being loaded or unloaded.

Badly secured loads pose a number of risks, including; shedding loads in transit, endangering other road users and causing traffic disruption, vehicles overturning when they become unstable following a load shifting in transit, loads moving inside the vehicle during transit which then fall off at the point of delivery, with potential to cause injury, workers climbing onto trailers to deal with a load that has shifted in transit then falling because they have a precarious foot hold, or being struck by parts of the load or suffering manual handling injuries when they try to unload the vehicle and damage to goods being carried.

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