National Highways seeking to tackle load insecurity
National Highways (formerly Highways England/Highways Agency) is seeking to tackle load insecurity in a new campaign aimed at operators of commercial vehicles.
Each year National Highways removes over 20,000 items which have fallen onto the road carriageway from a commercial vehicle. Apart from the delays caused to motorists if the carriageway is closed to facilitate removing the item, any item falling from a vehicle or bouncing down the carriageway is dangerous to other road users.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 state drivers must make sure that anything transported on or in a vehicle or trailer is secured so that it does not move during the journey and put people at risk.
Also, The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 states employers and the self-employed whose work puts others at risk must take steps to protect both their own employees and anyone else who could be at risk.
Load shift incidents on the road and in the workplace are both foreseeable and preventable. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) offers free load security guidance on their website (see link in Further Reading section). This guidance covers every aspect of loading a vehicle and is equally relevant to van drivers and those who tow a trailer.
It is not only the driver’s responsibility to ensure loads are secure; everyone has responsibilities:
- Business owners and managers must make sure drivers and people loading vehicles have the right training, information, and equipment to do their jobs safely.
- If you drive vehicles, make sure you know what you need to do. Challenge poor practice in the workplace where you can and ask for training if you are asked to take something out and you are not sure how it should be secured.
Whilst the loads carried by landscape professionals on vans and in trailers tend to be small compared to the other industries, even small items can kill or seriously injure other road users and guidance should be sought in the event of any doubt.
