Load security

5 deaths and 216 major injuries in the ‘freight by road’ industry were caused by objects falling onto people in the 2006/07 workyear. 946 more people received injuries severe enough to keep them off work for over three days.

Measures for reducing these accidents include;

• Follow the Department for Transport Code of Practice (see below)
• Think about how the load can be made safe for offloading, as well as while being transported on the road. Could a load shift during transit? Could this present a risk to the driver when they open back doors, release curtain sides, or undo chains or strapping?
• Ensure drivers have a safe area to observe from, not next to the vehicle where there could be hit by a fork lift truck or falling load
• Never rely on curtain sides to hold a load in place
• Encourage drivers to report near misses and damaged equipment
• Get information from companies you are delivering or collecting from about facilities and off-loading arrangements on their site, before you visit. See delivering safely for more information

The main UK guidance regarding the security of loads is the free Department for Transport Code of Practice: Safety of Loads on Vehicles [200KB].

Comprehensive load-specific advice can be found in the European Best Practice Guidelines on cargo securing (click the ‘EN’ (English) link on their webpage).