Hello,

I'd like to ask my colleagues for some advice with regards a safety system deployed onto a fleet of trailers we have to prevent falls from the trailer. The system involves the use of a harness worn by the driver which is clipped to a safety line at either side of the trailer. Our own drivers are going through a work at height and safety system training along with the awareness of a work instruction on how to use it developed from the risk assessment.

My question is, as we are asking the 3rd party haulage company to undertake this specialist work activity using the system we have installed, I'd like to include them within the whole programme; whereby my line manager believes we can get away with not doing what my plan is. What can you advise meas to the best way forward to justify my plan to my MD.

Thanks in advance.

Safety line along both sides of a trailer - how are the goods loaded with this in place?

What happens to the trailer when one or both lines get damaged?

How do they safely connect / disconnect from two sides (the line will be too long until fully coupled)?

How do they escape the harness if they do "fall"?

What if the 3rd party considers your "solution" unworkable (they are not your employees)?

Hello,

To answer a few questions raised, please find my reply's below.

The safety line is installed within the ceiling of the trailer, so loaidng isn't compremised. If a safety line is damaged or broekn, the trailer isn't used for that activity until repaired. They connect and disconnect by pulling down the safety line using a tag line to then hook to their harness. They escape from the harness by themselves if able to do so or via a representative of the customer they are deliveroing to as part of the agreed work activity. The 3rd party haulier like the system.

The 3rd party hauliers use our trailers ONLY. They supply the driver and the tractor unbit to pull the trailer.

Thanks again for your responses

Reading the reply I am envisaging some form of inertia reel device running along a wire suspended in the ceiling of the trailer.

I am presuming this is a "standard" curtain sided trailer in which case what is it the driver has to do that necessitates them being on the load/deck of the trailer they could not achieve from ground level?

Over the years I have seen many attempts at fitting a fall restraint system on the back of a wagon fail for may reasons, and the best case scenario is to avoid working off the trailer back – but it sound as if you are confident that you have established that is not practice and have a safe working system in place for your staff – congratulations on that.

So if that is the case to address the question in place. The Contractors are working off Your wagons in a hazardous way you have created and agreed with your customers (i.e working on the back of the wagon) so yes you must train them in the safe system.

The key for me to always look at the control you have over the contractor, in this case you are telling them exactly how the load must be delivered.

I think your Risk Assessment could be broadend as there are several options which do not require the driver being on the back of the trailer necessitating PPE:

1) You refuse to trade with customers without suitable off-loading - Eliminate the source of the risk.

2) You acquire specialist vehicles to suit this pool of customers and their lack of handling equipment e.g. moffett (the one with an FLT hanging off the back) - Engineer the risk.

3) You make the customer responsible for off-loading their purchase at their site, driver to open/close curtains only - they create the risk let them manage it - Manage the risk.

Hello Roundtuit,

I'm intrigued with option 3 and ask how would we transfer the risk to the customer? Most are likely to refuse and as such we could stop dealing with them. However, in these uncertain times we'd like to retain our customer base. Have you had any experience of transfering the risk to another in a similar situation to what my issue is? 

As with the Opeating licence, our Transport Manager is looking into that so we may have a known way forward for that element of the solution.

Thanks for al your help.

W.