Rank: Forum user 
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I'm having a bit of an issue with a subcontractor, whereby he uses two aluminium ramps to track a drilling rig from the back of his transit van onto site and back again at the end of the day.
There have been attachments fabricated onto the end of the ramps in order to allow them to sit on the bed of the truck and allow the rig out.
A man has to stand on the rig and use the levers to reverse it out onto the ramp, and I believe that this system presents an unacceptable risk of the rig toppling and crushing the operator, as there is currently no fixing point for the ramp on the bed of the truck, and the ramp feels unstable when I stand on it and use by weight to rock it back and forth.
Also, the weight of the rig is approximately 1000kg, and each ramp is LOLER certified for 750kg. If the rig was unloaded on uneven ground or grass, there is the potential for one ramp to potentially be overloaded.
I thought perhaps using a trailer with a built in ramp, or a ramp system which is fixed onto the transit would be a solution, however I've been unable to find any guidance on such things online.
Can anyone recommend anything they have used in similar circumstances, or perhaps point me in the direction of guidance, as I've not found anything specific enough to form a definite opinion.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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The wrong type of vehicle then? Should be a flat bed recovery or hook-lift sled type vehicle.
I do hope you don't suffer an ironic accident in the future.
"The ramp felt unstable when I stood on it and used my weight to rock it back and forth" is the kind of thing we often read in accident reports or A&E records...............
Many things we routinely come across as practitioners are manifestly unsafe. We need not put ourselves (or others) at risk to prove or demonstrate that fact.
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Rank: Forum user
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Thanks for the response.
With regard the ironic accident, I had one foot on the ground and very much doubt I would put myself in hospital, but thanks for your concern.
It was indeed the wrong vehicle, and the wrong unloading arrangements, but I was trying to be decent to the guy and find a solution, rather than just booting him there and then.
In the end he didn't want to put his hand in his pocket to improve his arrangements, so we sacked him.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Cheers zeb. My wry sense of humour doesn't always translate well on these text-only forums.
The other option would have been lifting points and crane..........water under the bridge now though.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Hi zeb - you did the right thing throughout!
If a similar situation arises, I would expect to see a means of firmly locating the ramps to the vehicle in conjunction with a minimum of a pair of rear-mounted stabilisers on the vehicle. An axle-lock alone would probably be insufficient in this situation.
Frank Hallett
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