Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive/Local Authorities Enforcement Liaison Committee (HELA)

Local Authority Circular

  • Subject: Moving Goods Safely Project 07/08
  • Open Government Status: Open
  • LAC Number: 85/13 (Revision 1)
  • Keywords: Moving Goods Safely/Workplace Transport
  • Date: 27/07/2007
  • Cancellation Date: 27/07/2009
  • Author Unit/Section: CACTUS

To: Health and Safety Enforcing Authorities

For the attention of: Field Operations Directorate (FOD) & local authority (LA) Inspectors Specialist Group (SG) Inspectors – Civil & Mechanical Engineering; Ergonomics Health and Safety Awareness Officers (HSAO).

Moving Goods Safely 3 2007/08 and Workplace Transport Campaign 2007

This Local Authority Circular is a substantially revised set of instructions on the Fit3 Moving Goods Safely (MGS) suite of interventions that will run from October 2007 to the end of March 2008. The information provided is duplicated in SIM 05/2007/01 [122KB] for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

It contains final planning, targeting, enforcement benchmarks and work recording guidance It also provides background information on the related Workplace Transport ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign, scheduled for Autumn 2007. 

New material in this revised guidance

1. This LAC groups together a number of work streams relating to MGS and the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign. The first part of the LAC covers issues such as aims, background, enforcement benchmarks, work recording, specialist resource etc that are common to all of the work streams. Inspectors are advised to read all of this section. The second part of the LAC is 6 appendices that cover in detail the role of Divisional Coordinators and the 5 individual work streams. Inspectors need only read and take action upon those appendices that are applicable to their work.

2. The main changes to the LAC are as follows:

  • How the available target lists of companies that are to be inspected or can be inspected can be obtained.
  • Work recording and reporting requirements including the need for any narrative reports.
  • Enforcement benchmarks including updates on Inspection Topic Packs.
  • Further guidance including additional material that is being produced fro the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign.

3. Each work stream is covered in more detail in a separate appendix. These are:

  • Third party logistics providers (3PLs) (16 national HSE & LA teams) – Appendix 2.
  • Pallet networks (HSE Midlands Division only) – Appendix 3.
  • Road haulage and warehousing (Nationally those HSE & LA staff that cover these industries) – Appendix 4.
  • Manufacturing supply chains (Nationally those HSE & LA staff covering builders’ merchants, steel stockholders, concrete products, bricks & timber roof trusses) – Appendix 5.
  • ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign including vehicle manufacturer visits (Nationally those HSE & LA staff that may be involved in site visits, stakeholder engagement & organising events) – Appendix 6

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Aim

4. The primary focus of MGS is to prevent injuries and ill health to delivery drivers, warehouse staff and others involved in the distribution or receipt of goods. By careful targeting, the MGS project packages a number of Fit3 hazard areas together. The project aims to contribute to the Public Service Agreement targets by delivering reductions in fatal and major injuries caused by workplace transport (i.e. ‘struck by vehicle’, ‘fall from vehicle’, ‘safe loading/unloading’) and slips and trips (i.e. on vehicles or in and around goods dispatch/delivery areas), as well as reductions in ill health caused by manual handling. As with earlier MGS projects, it was developed in close cooperation with LA colleagues and the FOD Delivery Partner.

Background

5. Historically, the starting point for this work was a joint HSE/LA project conducted in London during 2005/06 – MGS1. The lessons learnt from MGS1, together with those from other local projects, were used to develop and roll out a national project in 2006/07 - MGS2 (LAC 85/12). MGS2 ended in Summer 2007. The next phase of work, MGS3, is planned for delivery in the second half of 2007/08. It is linked to the Workplace Transport Programme ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign.

6. MGS3 is essentially a supply chain initiative aimed at reducing injury and ill health arising from the movement of goods in the logistics, warehousing, road haulage and goods delivery sectors. For 2007/08 an element of work also focuses on specific ‘manufacturing to construction’ supply chains; for LAs this provides opportunities to target builders’ merchants and steel stock holders.

7. Traditionally, one obstacle to effective inspection of supply chains has been the frequent change in enforcement demarcation (between HSE & LA). To address this issue joint HSE/LA interventions are a key component of MGS. There are also opportunities for HSE and LA ‘working alone’ elements in the 2007/08-work plan.

8. The safe collection/delivery of goods requires cooperation and exchange of information between all those involved in the supply chain – suppliers, hauliers and recipients of the goods. This cooperation should result in planned deliveries whereby risk management is not simply ‘left to the driver’.

HSE divisional coordinators

9. A network of HSE Divisional Coordinators has been appointed to coordinate planning and delivery of MGS3 interventions and the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign at a local level. Their responsibilities include working with the relevant Partnership Team (to liaise with LAs) and responding to local questions from HSE and LA operational staff. A list of Divisional Coordinators is provided in Appendix 1 together with their agreed role and responsibilities.

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Enforcement benchmarks

10. In respect of enforcement, inspectors are referred to the advice including template prohibition notices and improvement notices contained within the Inspection Topic Packs. The Workplace Transport Topic Pack has recently been revised to include additional material on falls from vehicles. The relevant inspection Topic Packs can be found at:

Reporting and work recording

11. For all MGS and ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign visits, HSE staff must make a record of the visit on the COIN system and include the keyword "mgs" (see paragraph 12 of OM 2007/04 [99KB]) in the notes summary field. It is vital that the keyword is entered exactly as shown, without spaces, full stops or other additions, otherwise it may be impossible to trace visits, and field staff may not receive full credit for the valuable work they have done. In addition, for a number of the work streams there is the requirement to provide additional information, for example a narrative report etc. This requirement is covered in more detail in each relevant appendix. LA staff should use their own recording system for any visits that they undertake.

Evaluation

12. So as to evaluate the impact of MGS3 interventions an extramural research project is planned. The main period of post-intervention follow-up will take place during 2008/09, i.e. after interventions have been completed in March 2008.  The research will look at changes in awareness, attitude, behaviour and working practice resulting from MGS3 interventions. To ensure the research contractor can follow-up a representative sample of inspections it is vital we are able to identify who has been inspected – this will be easier for some work streams than others. Specific responsibilities have been allocated to HSE Coordinators so as to ensure Divisional activity can be traced (see Appendix 1).

Training and briefing

13. There is no intention to (centrally) provide inspector training or briefing sessions for this package of work. Divisional coordinators may be able to assist in the delivery of local training/briefing (where identified as necessary).

Specialist resource

14. Specialist resource inputs may be required to support the work streams. This will largely be reactive to resolve issues identified during inspections. Nationally some 100 days of both SG Mechanical Engineering and Ergonomist time have been allocated to this work. Additionally, Construction Division Technology Unit (CDTU) specialist time in Mechanical and Civil Engineering has been made available to assist in the pallet network inspection work stream.

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Action by HSE and LA enforcement officers

15. Inspectors are asked to:

  • Discard and destroy earlier versions of this SIM (version 2 – dated 30/1/2007) and LAC (version 1 – dated 31/1/2007).
  • Follow the guidance in this SIM/LAC when planning, implementing, recording and reporting interventions as part of the MGS project.
  • Bring any problems with this SIM/LAC to the attention of the project team contacts below.

Further reading

16. Further guidance, illustrations and case studies can be found at the following pages on HSE’s website:

17. Additionally, the following publications may be of assistance:

Project team contact

18. For further information on the overall project please contact Carol Grainger. Information regarding the contacts for each work stream is provided in the specific appendix:

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Appendix 1
HSE Divisional MGS3/Transport Campaign Coordinators 2007

Division Coordinator Location Phone & Email Deputy
Wales Will Gretton Wrexham 01978-316027 (VPN 537)
will.gretton@hse.gsi.gov.uk 		 
South West To be notified      
East & SE Andrew Moore Basingstoke 01256-404137 (VPN 502)
andrew.area02.moore
@hse.gsi.gov.uk		  
London Trevor Allan Rose Court 0207-7172162 (VPN 522)
trevor.allan@hse.gsi.gov.uk		 Janet Francis
(Rose Court)
Midlands Janice Dale Stoke-on-Trent 01782-602372 (VPN 512)
janice.dale@hse.gsi.gov.uk		 Fiona Garner
(Nottingham)
North West Nanette Cox Preston 01772-836274 (VPN 518)
nan.cox@hse.gsi.gov.uk		 Richard Clarke
(Manchester)
Yorkshire & NE Mark Welsh Sheffield 0114-2912319 (VPN 514)
mark.welsh@hse.gsi.gov.uk		  
Scotland James Young Glasgow 0141-2753009 (VPN 521)
jim.young@hse.gsi.gov.uk		  

Role: To coordinate Divisional planning and delivery of MGS3 works streams, including the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign, and to ‘Champion’ the work throughout 2007/08). [Note: In resource terms, FOD work plans assign 10 x Band 3/4 staff contact days (i.e. approx. one sixth of the Band 3 contact-days’ target) to this role for each Divisional Coordinator.]

Responsibilities:
  1. To liaise with the Project Team (STSU) by providing operational input into the planning and delivery process and to flag up any potential problems.
  2. To respond to questions locally from HSE and LA operational staff and, in relation to the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign, from duty holders/stakeholders based within the geographic boundary.
  3. To act as a conduit whereby the Coordinator can 'filter' the information from the project team and ensure its dissemination at a local level and to clarify/modify where necessary.
  4. To work with the relevant Partnership Team to liaise with LAs.
  5. To assist with the identification of suitable local targets (both duty holders and stakeholders) for either inspection or educational and awareness-raising events.
  6. To facilitate and assist in producing any local inspection instructions/protocols, and to produce a Divisional plan for this initiative (a copy of the latter of which should be provided to the Project Team).
  7. To assist Band 2s to identify local training needs, and assist with delivery of training as required.
  8. To liaise with Government News Network and others, e.g. LA press offices, to produce press releases; including identifying and seeking opportunities to publicise both inspection activities and/or educational/awareness-raising events.
  9. To assist in the planning of, and delivery at, educational/awareness raising events.
  10. To oversee local arrangements for obtaining/distributing (etc.) in-house publicity material such as posters, panels, stakeholder packs etc.
  11. To assist Divisional HSAOs deliver their component of the MGS/ ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign work plan.
  12. With the respective Head of Operations, to monitor progress and the timely delivery of this initiative.
  13. To provide feedback to the Project Team (e.g. on the outcomes of local delivery plans, projects, events, issues etc.) and coordinate any Divisional returns/reports required for project evaluation purposes.

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Appendix 2
Work Stream: Third Party Logistics Providers

Timing and who

  • October 2007 to March 2008. Nationally there are 16 HSE & LA partnership teams.

What

A ‘third party logistics provider’ (abbreviated 3PL) is a firm that provides outsourced logistics services to companies for part or sometimes all of their supply chain management – typically they specialise in integrated warehousing and transportation services. The 3PL function is often not their main activity. ‘Supply chain’ refers to the distribution channel of a product, from manufacture to delivery to end-user. It is essentially a network created amongst the different companies producing, handling, distributing, and selling a specific product.

Large-scale interventions will be undertaken on 16 of the largest 3PLs. A complete list of the companies and their lead inspector(s) has been provided to the Divisional Coordinators and this will be disseminated to the 3PL Teams. The list will also be placed on the Extranet at the Fit3/MGS site. If an LA cannot access the Extranet, they can obtain copies from either their local Partnership Manager or Divisional Coordinator. Details of the target companies will also be available on Initiatives Table. The intervention team will need to initially approach the 3PL to:

  • Establish which services they provide.
  • The client companies to which services are provided.
  • Any other companies that may be involved in the supply chain.

Based on this information the intervention team will need to select an appropriate supply chain to follow and inspect.

How

  • This guidance document is not intended to cover how regulators should inspect a large, multi-site company but is merely a suggested steer. The intervention team needs to gather sufficient information such that it can establish:
  • How the company is structured?
  • How it interacts with both the client company and any other companies within the supply chain?
  • How health and safety is managed?
  • What are the standards of control on health and safety?

This should be of sufficient range and depth such that when reporting back to the 3PL (and any other company) they have enough information and examples to ensure that:

  • The company cannot claim that this is a one-off example
  • Any systemic and underlying failings within the system for managing health and safety can be identified.
  • That the company is placed in a position where it not only addresses the immediate issues but also addresses the underlying causes.
  • That the action the company takes has a “knock-on” effect across both the entire company including those parts of the supply chain or other supply chains that were not inspected.

Those intervention teams familiar with HSG65, Successful health and safety management, may wish to use this model to structure their inspection of the company. This is not mandatory.

Regulators will use their discretion and professional judgment to select from a mixture of hazard and risk indicators with the objective of assessing and drawing conclusions on the overall health and safety management system of the company. The hazard and risk factors to be selected from include:

  • Being struck by a vehicle.
  • Being struck by a falling item during the loading/unloading of the goods.
  • Falls from the vehicle.
  • Trips & slips associated with the vehicle and in/around the loading area.
  • Manual handling injuries associated with the handling of the goods.
  • Any other risk that they believe is a pertinent indicator.

Regulators are asked to focus inspections upon:

  • The arrangements for collection and delivery of goods including peripatetic work (e.g. home delivery).
  • The working relationships between all of the various duty holders involved in these activities including how they cooperate communicate and control individual and shared risks.
  • Those employees who are most likely to be exposed to the risk (e.g. drivers, warehouse staff etc).

A suggested protocol to follow and question set has been provided to the Divisional Coordinators and this will be disseminated to the 3PL Teams. The protocol and question set has also been placed on the Extranet at the Fit3/MGS site. If an LA cannot access the Extranet, they can obtain copies from either their local Partnership Manager or Divisional Coordinator. It is not mandatory to follow this protocol or question set.

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Resources

It is likely that when following a good(s) within the supply chain that the good(s) will cross enforcement allocation e.g. from manufacturer (HSE) to distribution depot (LA) to retail outlet (LA) or home delivery (HSE). Thus both HSE and LA staffing of intervention teams will be required (so as to reflect the changing enforcement allocation that occurs in the supply chain). For HSE, resource allocation assumes that each intervention will require 15 x B3/4 operational contact days.

Enforcement Benchmarks

See Paragraph 10. 

Further Reading

See Paragraphs 16 & 17.

Reporting & work recording

Each 3PL team must record visits as per paragraph 11. In addition, the team must provide a narrative report at the end of the intervention per the required format. This format has been provided to the Divisional Coordinators and will be disseminated to the 3PL Teams. The report format has also been placed on the Extranet at the Fit3/MGS site. If an LA cannot access the Extranet, they can obtain copies from either their local Partnership Manager or Divisional Coordinator. The report must be submitted together with any action plan agreed with the relevant company to John Berezansky by 30th April 2008 (see contact details below).

Project Team Contact

Appendix 3
Work Stream: Pallet networks

Timing and who

October 2007 to March 2008. For the HSE Midlands Division only.

What and how

There are currently 10 specialist pallet networks, each with a central (Midlands-based) hub through which palletised loads are moved and transhipped. The Midlands Division will undertake inspection of all 10 hubs with support from CDTU. It is likely that inspections will also be carried out on a sample of the companies that operate the ‘spokes’ that feed into and out of the main distribution hubs. Therefore there could be some overlap with the road haulage work stream (Appendix 4) and the target list based primarily on membership to pallet networks (MGS3 road haulage list 1).

Targeting

Information on those pallet networks and their ‘spoke’ companies that are to be inspected can be obtained from the Divisional Coordinator: Janice Dale, tel. 01782-602372 (VPN 512 2372), janice.dale@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Resources

58 x B3/4 ops contact days and from CDTU: 20 x Civil Engineer contact days & 10 x Mechanical Engineer contact days.

Enforcement Benchmarks

See paragraph 10. In addition, Services, Transportation & Safety Unit (STSU) and FOD Midlands operational staff with specialist support have been working with the Association of Pallet Networks (APN) to develop some industry standard/guide for visiting drivers & forklift truck drivers. At the present time, it appears that this will take the form of two, one-page summary documents that will hopefully be disseminated to the APN members in the Autumn of 2008.

Further Reading

See Paragraphs 16 & 17.

Reporting & work recording

Each visit must be recorded as per paragraph 11. In addition, at the end of all of the interventions the Midlands Divisional Coordinator is to provide a short, narrative report capturing the common themes, issues and actions taken with the pallet networks. This is to be provided to John Berezansky by no later than 30th April 2008 (see contact details below).

Project Team Contact

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Appendix 4
Work stream: Road haulage and warehousing

Timing and who

October 2007 to March 2008. This is for all HSE & LA working either in partnership or stand-alone work who inspect these industries.

What

In the earlier version of this SIM/LAC this work stream was presented as two separate work streams (an ‘HSE-only’ road haulage one and an ‘LA-only’ warehousing one). Following development of targeting information it became apparent that the best approach was to combine the two work streams.

The work stream requires programme directed inspection of warehousing and road haulage/distribution companies not visited during MGS2. The overarching theme of inspections should be ‘moving goods safely’ (i.e. workplace transport, manual handling and slips & trips) including the collection/delivering of goods. During the period of the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign, preventing falls (of people) from vehicles will be a key focus.

How

Health and safety enforcement at head office and operating depots of road haulage/distribution companies often falls to LAs due to associated warehousing and storage activities. The peripatetic operations of such organisations, however, generally fall to HSE (e.g. deliveries of goods to factories, across the pavement into retail establishments, or to domestic premises). HSE inspectors investigate injuries to haulage company drivers that occur on HSE enforced premises, though will often not have enforcement responsibility for the haulage company office or depot.

There are a number of options by which this work stream can be delivered:

  1. Joint LA and HSE inspection of road haulage companies and their associated warehousing and peripatetic activity, e.g. the LA focusing on warehousing/storage activity and HSE addressing peripatetic (safe delivery of goods) issues. During the depot visit it is proposed that details of major clients/customers are requested so that subsequent follow-up inspections can be carried out to look at goods delivery/collection in practice.
  2. HSE-only inspection of road haulage/distribution companies (i.e. in cases where it is known that HSE has enforcement responsibility for both the depot/HQ and peripatetic work). Again it is suggested that follow-up visits be made to a sample of HSE-enforced premises where the haulage company regularly makes deliveries/collections.
  3. LA-only inspection of road haulage companies and associated warehousing/storage activities (i.e. where local knowledge exists to identify such companies).
  4. LA-only inspection of relevant high-risk warehousing/distribution centre premises from their programme of planned preventative inspections.

Targeting

A number of targeting mechanisms have been identified for this work stream:

  • MGS3 road haulage list 1 - A list of haulage companies identified by the MGS project team. This is based primarily (but not exclusively) on membership of specialist pallet networks that exist in the UK; most of these networks have websites through which local members can be readily identified. This list contains details of some 530 haulage company locations (nationally). The list provides address details and contact numbers; for HSE purposes it has been cross-matched with HSE’s COIN database to provide “date of last contact” and “provider unit” details (where registered). Enquiries made in FOD Yorkshire & North East revealed that the majority of companies on this list are LA enforced – generally due to warehousing/storage activities at the associated depot/HQ. This list has been provided to the Divisional Coordinators and will be disseminated to the relevant staff. The list has also been placed on the Extranet at the Fit3/MGS site. If an LA cannot access the Extranet, they can obtain copies from either their local Partnership Manager or Divisional Coordinator.
  • MGS3 road haulage list 2 - A list of companies with an SIC of 60249 (freight transport by road) that are registered on HSE’s COIN database. This list is organised by FOD Division and comprises some 4,970 sites. It includes ‘date of last contact details’. As with the first list, the fact that a company features on this list does not mean that the company HQ/depot will fall to HSE for enforcement. The lists are not mutually exclusive, i.e. a company/site could appear on both lists. This list is available as per the above.

Should the above not prove adequate (unlikely as the lists contain nearly 5500 sites and only 350 visits are required by HSE) alternative sources include:

Additionally, LAs may wish to use local systems and knowledge to identify relevant high risk warehousing operations and distribution centres at which to carry out MGS inspections as part of their programme of planned preventive inspections.

Operations of any of the 3PL providers should either be avoided or, alternatively, interventions should be planned in liaison with the person(s) leading on the 3PL – this information can be obtained via the Divisional Coordinator.

Whilst considerable effort has been expended in drawing these lists together, and we are confident that there will be more than enough potential companies for inspectors and EHOs to visit, we would be grateful if the relevant project team members could be alerted to any significant weaknesses in the lists (e.g. a number of companies who have ceased trading).

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Resources

For HSE planning purposes it has been assumed that each inspection visit will take 0.5 days. The allocation of FOD inspector resource (Band 3 & 4) and the number of required visits per FOD Division is shown in the following table:

FOD
Division		 No. of visits B3/4 ops contact days
W&SW 46 23
E&SE 92 46
Lon 24 12
Mids 70 35
Y&NE 46 23
NW 46 23
Scot 24 12
Total 348 174

LAs are encouraged to contribute to this work stream as and where local priorities permit.

Enforcement Benchmarks

See Paragraph 10. 

Further Reading

See Paragraphs 16 & 17.

Reporting & work recording

Each visit must be recorded as per paragraph 11. In addition:

  • To aid project evaluation, it would be helpful if inspectors enquire as to whether targeted companies are members of either the FTA or the RHA. Such companies may also receive a mail shot as part of the Transport Falls from vehicles campaign. In the COIN notes summary field you should also record in addition to using the keyword ‘mgs’ either ‘FTA’ or ‘RHA’.
  • Divisional Coordinators are asked to maintain a local list of companies that have been visited as part of the work stream – where possible LAs are asked to feed into this via their local Partnership Manager. This list will be used to help target post-intervention and should be sent to Carol Grainger by 30th April 2008 (se contact details below).

Following visits to companies that are a member of a pallet network - i.e. companies ‘MGS3 road haulage list 1’ - it may be necessary to refer issues (e.g. deficiencies resulting from failings in cooperation/communication) to the FOD Midlands team that are conducting visits to the major network hubs (Appendix 3). This work stream will also be the subject of a joint (LA/HSE) Fit3 Focus Group in March 2008 in the East & South East Division.

Project Team Contact

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Appendix 5
Work stream: Manufacturing supply chains

Timing & Who

October 2007 to March 2008. HSE & LA either in partnership or stand-alone work.

What

The primary purpose of these visits is to address the hazards that arise during loading/unloading operations of certain products, including the extra issue of load stability/security. There have been a number of serious, including fatal, incidents and numerous reports of near misses during loading of road vehicles, and more particularly during off-loading due to the instability of the load often caused in-transit. To maximise impact, the other MGS hazard areas should also be addressed during inspections; namely workplace transport (struck by vehicle, fall from vehicle, delivering safely – i.e. cooperation of those in the supply chain to prepare delivery plans), slips and trips (on or around vehicles), and manual handling.

Targeting

The targeted "goods" are:

  • Concrete products
  • Bricks
  • Timber roof trusses
  • Structural steel

To aid targeting of suppliers and hauliers, HSE construction inspectors have been invited to pass intelligence back up the enforcement chain via the Divisional Coordinators when poor performers or relevant supply chain issues are identified, e.g. following incidents.

LA resource inputs can be directed at the construction product chains through the targeted inspection of builders’ merchants and steel stockholders. It is anticipated local knowledge will be sufficient to enable identification of sites for visit.

For HSE visits to suppliers of all the targeted goods Divisional Coordinators have been provided with either lists of possible sites for visit or other information to identify manufacturers/suppliers. These lists will be disseminated via the Divisional Coordinators to the relevant staff.

Both LA and HSE Inspectors are encouraged to visit both members and non-members of relevant trade associations in equal measure and to avoid multiple visits to multi-site companies, if possible. For visits to steel stockholders, inspectors are reminded of the split between HSE and LAs for enforcement, depending on ‘major activity’ and the need to check with the other enforcing authority if the site proposed for visit is not registered (on COIN/LA database). Also, for work on steel stockholders, inspectors are reminded of the Steel Stockholding Lead Authority Partnership (National Association of Steel Stockholders/HSE/Wolverhampton City Council).

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Resources

Adventitious visits only. No specific FOD resource has been allocated to this work.  However, it is anticipated that FOD Divisions will want to direct a proportion of the 18 B3/4 ops staff contact years that have been allocated to manufacturing in 2007/08 to deliver this MGS work stream. LAs may wish to put aside time to carry out MGS inspections at steel stockholders and builders’ merchants.

Enforcement Benchmarks

See Paragraph 10.

Further Reading

See Paragraphs 16 & 17. In addition, the following industry based guidance is also available:

Note:  There is no specific guidance available for safe loading/transport of bricks.

For visits to builders’ merchants, LA inspectors may wish to refer to the material produced in the Midlands in 2005/06 – this can be found on the Extranet under Support-Training/MGS – Builders’ Merchants.

Work Recording

Each visit must be recorded as per paragraph 11. In addition, this work stream will be the subject of a joint (LA/HSE) Fit3 Focus Group in March 2008 in the East & South East Division.

Project Team Contact

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Appendix 6
Work Stream: ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign including vehicle manufacturer visits

Timing & Who

October to November 2007. Manufacturers’ visits – HSE only. All others - HSE & LA either in partnership or stand-alone work.

What

This is one of the major Campaigns for 2007/08. Each year an average of 5 people are killed and more than 800 suffer major injuries due to falls from vehicles. This is an economic and human cost of about £36.7 million. The aim of the ‘Falls from vehicles’ campaign 2007 is to raise awareness of the risks workers are exposed to when working at height and accessing vehicles and the action that should be taken to minimise these risks. This will be achieved through a combination of national and local publicity and media events, as well as operational staff addressing this risk during site visits.

The campaign messages will be supported through the MGS3 inspection work streams as covered in Appendices 2 to 5. This will also include both HSE and LA resources to help deliver the publicity and media elements of the campaign, e.g. through organising and supporting local and national events.

How

Both HSE & LA: The Campaign and complementary inspection activity will target any duty holder that may either operate or manufacture a road-going goods vehicles and trailers. For duty holders that operate a vehicle, the Campaign messages target:

  • Those persons that procure road-going vehicles e.g. transport managers and fleet engineers.
  • Those persons that control the work activities and the sites from which the vehicles operate e.g. depot managers.
  • Those persons that operate or may need access to/from the vehicle e.g. drivers and warehouse staff.

A proportion of MGS3 visits should be planned for the Campaign period to reinforce the campaign messages and support press advertising and direct mail approaches to duty holders during this period. Campaign materials, including campaign CD, pocket card for workers and some hard copy versions of Information Sheets for duty holders, should be used at visits where relevant. Duty holders should be encouraged to visit the campaign website for further information.

HSE only: HSE staff will make a number of Section 6 visits to manufacturers and suppliers of Large Goods Vehicle trailers. The purpose of these visits will be to focus on vehicle design issues relevant to the preventing people falling from vehicles – i.e. controlling risks at the design phase. Specialist support will be available if required for these visits. Staff undertaking these visits should note that in June 2007, manufacturers received an initial awareness-raising letter regarding the Campaign. A list of recipients and copies of the letter can be obtained from the Divisional Coordinators.

Targeting visits

Visits in support of the campaign should be targeted as described in Appendices 2 to 5.

A list of the companies for the HSE, Section 6 visits have been provided to the Divisional Coordinators and this will be disseminated to those staff undertaking the visits.

Stakeholder events

The Project Team has provided the Divisional Coordinators a diary of national events (e.g. Traffic Commissioner seminars, FTA seminars etc) that will be supported by either the STSU or by local staff. This information will be disseminated via the Coordinators. Resource has been allocated for HSAOs and Coordinators to carry out this work.

Locally organised events in support of the campaign are also to be encouraged.

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Resources

Divisional Coordinators – Each FOD Division to provide 10 x B3/4 ops contact days.

Manufacturer visits – each FOD Division to provide 2 x B3/4 ops contact days Divisions have discretion to decide whether or not to use resources from their Product Safety Team to deliver this part of the initiative.

Publicity and awareness raising events – nationally some 6 x HSAO staff years have been allocated to support the entire MGS3/Campaign package. It is estimated that 70% of this resource will support purely HSE events/work with the remainder going to support LAs on joint events.

LAs may wish to plan MGS inspection initiatives to coincide with the transport campaign. A campaign budget will be available to help fund events run by LAs (and other stakeholders). Enquiries regarding funding should be directed to Rachel Corbridge.

Enforcement Benchmarks

See Paragraph 10.  Further guidance and enforcement information will be available in the revised "Falls from vehicles" section of the Workplace Transport Inspection Topic Pack that will be published on the Intranet and Extranet by the beginning of September 2007.

Events

Events will be supported by a variety of materials including leaflets, promotional stands, presentation talks etc. Each Division will have a Promotional stand for use at locally organised events and events off the national list. The Divisional Coordinator will manage the use of the stand and will be the central contact for ordering campaign materials for HSE and LA events.

PowerPoint presentations for the various events will be available on the Intranet and Extranet.

Reporting & work recording

Each visit and promotional event must be recorded as per paragraph 11. In addition, at the end of the Campaign period, Divisional Coordinators will be asked to provide a short narrative summary of events that were organised within their area. This is to be provided to Rachel Corbridge by no later than 1st February 2008 (contact details below).

Project Team Contact

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Updated 02.06.09