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CWU H&S Dept have issued a warning to all CWU H&S reps following the recent death of a CWU member working for Romec. The incident, in the yard at HWDC resulted in an individual being crushed to death between an articulated vehicle trailer and reversing motive unit. Writing in LTB590/06, Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer warns that: Every year in the UK around 50 people are killed and 1300 injured by accidents involving vehicles in the workplace and in many a lot of damage is also done to property. Better planning, training and awareness, and the appropriate use of vehicles, can avoid most of these accidents. HSE Guidance is available in the HSE publication "HSE Workplace Transport Safety INDG199" available from HSE books. It is aimed at both managers and operators and identifies some of the safety problems for common vehicle operations. More detailed information can be found in "Workplace transport safety: An employers ' guide HSG136"..1 By law, employers have a general duty to ensure that the health and safety of their employees and members of the public is not put at risk as a result of the work that they do. Employees also have a duty to look after their own health and safety, and that of anyone who might be affected by their work. Workplace transport means any vehicle that is used in a work setting, not on the public highway, such as fork lift trucks, tractors, mobile cranes and access equipment as well as cars, vans and large goods vehicles when these are operating off the public highway that are loading or unloading or being operated around a site or yard. Managing for safety is about reducing risks and taking steps to try and make sure that accidents are avoided through 'risk assessment' and every employer has to do it by law. Activities may include: arrival and departure; travel within the workplace; loading, unloading and securing loads; sheeting; coupling; and vehicle maintenance work etc. There have been a number of accidents on Royal Mail premises including fatalities involving our own members and members of the public. Additionally the HSE have served both Improvement Notices and Prohibition Notices on Royal Mail. Without wishing to pre-judge the outcome of this latest accident we have expressed our concerns to Royal Mail and called for a thorough review of Workplace Transport Safety and Yard Risk Assessments at the earliest opportunity. However, in the mean time would Safety Representative give this matter their immediate attention and carry out inspections as well as initiating local discussions with management about these risks and look at where safety improvements can be made to avoid accidents of this nature. Source: CWU LTB590/06
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