“The Road to Compliance” - National Association of ... Checks and Load... · 1 Ronnie Arnott, VOSA Scheme Advisor How Secure is your Load – 2013 “The Road to Compliance”

1

Ronnie Arnott,

VOSA

Scheme Advisor

How Secure is your Load – 2013

“The Road to Compliance”

2

Enabling Legislation

Regulation 100 of the Vehicles

(Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 and

Section 40A of the Road Traffic Act 1988

provide offences for when loads have fallen

from vehicles or are likely to cause a

danger of injury

Non UK vehicles will be treated no differently

3

Why Now…?

• Application of the legislation regarding load security

has been sporadic and inconsistent.

• Very much dependent on geographical location

and the knowledge of individual examiners to judge

whether or not a load is insecure.

•Where they do make a call, the enforcement action

was sometimes inconsistent.

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How…

•In an attempt to improve consistency, VOSA

recently embarked on some partnership working

with the HSE where we developed a formal training

programme aimed at increasing awareness and

reducing ambiguity.

•The profile of this work will be raised, with it the

likelihood of increased enforcement activity and

VOSA staff will still be prohibiting vehicles that are

carrying obvious insecure loads, where ambiguity

exists it will be handled by giving advice only.

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Load Security…

But, lets look at the facts first…..

Now The Impact? The fixed penalty to the driver for an insecure load from July will be £100

If the vehicle is deemed to be in a dangerous condition then following

prosecution the fine can be up to £1,000 and 3 points on the licence.

Load Shift Load Loss

2011 7 8

2012 18 10

2013 7 6

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Aims of the training

• To equip Examiners to deal effectively with

those vehicles that present an immediate

likelihood of causing harm due to their

load security or stability.

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Load Types

Metal pipes, sheet or bar Timber Clothing

Reinforced concrete FIBCs/bulk powder Wood chip

Bricks, stone or concrete Roll cages Waste paper

Vehicles (including scrap) Bagged aggregate Coal bags

Plant machinery Empty skips stacked 3 high Bulk material (in tipper)

Reels (steel, wire or paper) Heavy palletised goods (1) Packaging material

Kegs and barrels Single loaded skips

Stacked loaded skips Empty skips < 3 high

Empty skips stacked > 3 high Light palletised goods (2)

Metal castings

Glass

Containers/work cabins

8

Securing categories

Category 1 Category 2 Category 3

No load securing >30cm gap between load and

vehicle headboard (5)

Lashings on ropehooks (6)

>1m gap between front of load

and vehicle headboard(3)

Unsheeted load in bulk tipper or

skip

Minor damage to headboard

not affecting structural integrity

Unstable load affecting vehicle

stability or likely to topple from

vehicle

Inadequate load securing leading

to likely risk of harm

Unsuitable load securing

Severe structural damage to

headboard or gaps in

headboard that would allow

load penetration

Unsuitable stacking of load items

likely to lead to risk of harm

Poor condition of securing

equipment

Items loaded over height of

headboard (4)

Height of load likely to affect

vehicle stability

Unsuitable vehicle for load

9

Load Matrix…

P P/A A

Load Type Defect Category

1 2 3 P P A

P A A

A B C

NB: Where a PG9 is

issued, photographs

must be taken

•Can the load slide or topple

forward or back?

•Can the load slide or topple off

the side?

•Is the load unstable?

•Is load securing equipment in

poor condition?

•Is there anything loose that might

fall off?

Does the vehicle present an

immediate likelihood of causing

danger of injury due to its load

security or stability?

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Why do Loads Shift…?

An unsecured item on a trailer or

vehicle bed is not part of the vehicle

The item and the trailer/vehicle will

move independently of each other

just as a passenger in a car will

move independently if they don’t put

their seatbelt on

Load security relies on ensuring that

the load and the trailer/vehicle do

not move independently of each

other

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Accelerating,

braking and

cornering will tend

to cause the load

to shift – and

friction alone

cannot be relied

upon to hold the

load in place.

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On the road, loads tend to shift when the vehicle is braking, or

when the vehicle is turning Main ‘hotspots’ for load shift are: • Roundabouts

• Slip roads

• Long (fast) corners

• Under braking

• Swerving to avoid obstacles

The ‘perfect storm’ for load shift is changing direction while

braking. Loads can shift even at low speed but speed is a factor.

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Load Containment v Security…

Load containment

– preventing loads

from falling from

the vehicle/trailer –

is not the same as

load restraint.

These containers for example are contained within the vehicle

body but are still free to move relative to the trailer bed

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Load Security…

Lets look at some examples that include the

loads you may carry.

We can also use the VOSA matrix to assess

if they meet our criteria or not.

The matrix is a guide to

assist with decision making

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Containment v Security…

Load containment

– preventing loads

from falling from

the vehicle/trailer –

is not the same as

load restraint.

These containers for example are contained within the vehicle

body but are still free to move relative to the trailer bed

Five Principles of Load Safety…

1. Choose the

right vehicle

– using the

right vehicle

for the load

can make it

much easier

to secure the

load


2. Load the vehicle properly – the load should be

loaded against the headboard and with the centre

of mass as low as possible. If the load is not loaded

to the headboard, think

about how the load can

be prevented from

moving forward. You

may need additional

lashings, or chocks or

blocking.


3. Choose the right securing

method – not all loads are

the same and not all

vehicles are the same.

Webbing straps or chains

are common ways to

secure loads but they are

not necessarily right for

every load


4. Use enough load restraint – accidents can occur

when drivers and operators underestimate how

much restraint is needed to keep a load on the

vehicle. The forces

acting as the vehicle

travels on the road

are much higher

than the static forces


5. Communication is the key – reporting near-misses

and other issues such as restricted access to

delivery sites or cambered delivery sites can

prevent them becoming accidents. Drivers should

be given clear information about the loads they

carry, how they are to be unloaded, and what they

should do if the load shifts

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Security…

Load Security…

Transit & Poles

Transit & Poles

Documents

“The Road to Compliance” - National Association of ... Checks and Load... · 1 Ronnie Arnott, VOSA Scheme Advisor How Secure is your Load – 2013 “The Road to Compliance”