Load security

3 deaths and 160 major injuries in the 'freight by road' industry were caused by objects falling onto people in the 2009/10 work year. 740 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 when the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded, 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 Vehicles at work for more information

The main UK guidance regarding the security of loads is free on GOV.UK: Security guidance for goods vehicle operators and drivers.