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Driving heavy vehicles safely in poor road conditions

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Road freight

These are the most common injuries and hazards for people working in road freight, as shown by injury claims. The road freight industry includes short and long distance road freight transport and freight forwarding operations.

Safety solutions

WorkSafe expects employers to have safety solutions in place to protect workers from the most common sources of injury.

Hazards and solutions

Hazard 1
Falling loads
Stabilise loads (eg by segmenting with cages, stillages, pallets and mezzanines, or link with skips or bins).

Ensure packaging is sturdy and does not stick out or catch. Use powered tightening of load binders.

Untie and unload at the same level to avoid working below the load.

Use exclusion zones (eg at least three times the load fall distance away from freight).

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons face / eye/ ear.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.
Hazard 2
Falls from the cabin rear of vehicle or load
Ensure the design of vehicle, load and procedures eliminates the need to climb on top of the load or tray (eg containerise the load, use mechanical aids, and apply load restraints and tarps from ground level).

When working at height, use appropriate equipment (eg gantries, drop-down work platforms or travel restraints to prevent falls).

Use appropriate equipment when loading docks (eg retractable steps, harnesses or restraints when unloading).

Ensure vehicle has well-lit cabin access (eg wide non-slip steps, down-facing light in bottom of driver's door when it opens) and employees use three points of contact when entering or exiting the cabin.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons arm.

19 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

9 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.
Hazard 3
Handling freight
Provide appropriate mechanical aids and equipment (eg loading docks, tailgate lifters, walk-up boards or retractable steps to ensure safe access to the load, lifting arms, conveyors and forklifts for loading and unloading, trolleys and barrows to shift loads) and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

Ensure loads are planned and suitably presented for handling by mechanical aids (eg pallets).

Train employees in the selection and use of any mechanical equipment and aids and safe handling methods (eg work is done between shoulder and mid-thigh height and with the elbows close to the body, work upright where possible).

Develop policies for how to safely handle freight (eg two or three people to assist drivers with loading / unloading).

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons arm.

19 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

5 per cent of the injuries were to a persons abdomen.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.
Hazard 4
Load adjustment
Ensure vehicles have load binder systems that can be tightened from ground level.

Avoid using over-centre lever style tensioners (dogs) to tie down a load.

Use ratchet style binders as these require less force to get the suitable tension.

Regularly check the condition of load restraints and replace when necessary.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons face / eye/ ear.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

19 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

5 per cent of the injuries were to a persons abdomen.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.
Hazard 5
Noise
Ensure employees are not exposed to noise that exceeds the exposure standard.

Arrange for a noise assessment if employees are exposed to excessive noise (eg workers have to raise their voices to communicate over a distance of one metre) and there is uncertainty as to whether employees exposure may have exceeded the noise exposure standard.

Eliminate or minimise the source of noise (eg Insulate truck cabins from high sound levels, reduce vibration).

Provide hearing equipment as required

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons face / eye/ ear.
Hazard 6
Slips trips and falls around the vehicle
Ensure loading / unloading space is clean, dry, even and well-lit.

Train employees on safe loading and unloading (eg park in a way that permits safe and easy access to the vehicle for loading, unloading or load adjustment).

Ensure employees wear appropriate footwear (eg robust, non-slip).

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons arm.

19 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

9 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.
Hazard 7
Vehicle accidents
Ensure vehicles are regularly serviced, well-maintained and comply with manufacturer's standards, including accessories such as tailgate lifters and trolleys.

Minimise in-cabin distractions (eg loud music) and vibration (eg uncomfortable seating).

Ensure drivers are not impaired by drugs, alcohol or fatigue and discourage speeding, tailgating, etc.

Provide GPS monitoring to ensure speed limits are not exceeded.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.
Hazard 8
Work-related stress fatigue bullying and harassment
Encourage a positive workplace culture, including reporting of bullying and harassment.

Ensure all employees understand what bullying and harassment is, and the procedures for reporting incidents (eg policies and procedures should be promoted during employee induction and workplace bullying prevention or training).

Provide access and encourage employees to use employee counselling / support services, where possible.

Develop strategies for managing the impact of fatigue (eg develop a fatigue management system and train managers/team leaders how to effectively implement it).

Train employees how to recognise fatigue signs and symptoms.

Encourage employees to report any workplace stress factors (eg work demand, low control, poor support, lack of role clarity, organisational culture) and control appropriately.

'If you are injured at work' poster

Employers must display an 'if you are injured at work' poster in every workplace. You can download and print a poster in English as well as Arabic, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

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Transport, logistics and warehousing

OHS responsibilities and duties

Consultation

Health and safety representatives (HSRs)

You might also need

Insurance, claims and recovery

Employer obligations

Workplace resources

Understand WorkSafe

Injury hotspots

Road freight

Safety solutions

Hazards and solutions

Falling loads

Falls from the cabin rear of vehicle or load

Handling freight

Load adjustment

Noise

Slips trips and falls around the vehicle

Vehicle accidents

Work-related stress fatigue bullying and harassment

'If you are injured at work' poster

Gendered violence.

It comes in many forms.

News and alerts

Driving heavy vehicles safely in poor road conditions

Safe parking of vehicles with automated manual transmission

$35,000 fine after truck driver's death

Information

Services

About WorkSafe

Contact

Transport, logistics and warehousing

OHS responsibilities and duties

Consultation

Health and safety representatives (HSRs)

You might also need

Insurance, claims and recovery

Employer obligations

Workplace resources

Understand WorkSafe

﻿﻿﻿Injury hotspots

Road freight

Safety solutions

Hazards and solutions

Falling loads

Falls from the cabin rear of vehicle or load

Handling freight

Load adjustment

Noise

Slips trips and falls around the vehicle

Vehicle accidents

Work-related stress fatigue bullying and harassment

'If you are injured at work' poster

Gendered violence.

It comes in many forms.

News and alerts

Driving heavy vehicles safely in poor road conditions

Safe parking of vehicles with automated manual transmission

$35,000 fine after truck driver's death

Injury hotspots