Transcription of Health and Safety Executive Bovis Lend Lease and …
1 Bovis Lend Lease and William HareLtd working togetherReducing falls from vehiclescase study 10 Health and Safety ExecutiveThis case study is part of a series, which give examples ofgood practice to reduce injuries due to falls from vehiclesthrough sensible management of Health and Safety risks inthe challengeAsprincipalcontractorat the British Gypsum factory,Sherburn in Elmet, Bovis Lend Lease were working ondemolition and large scale extension works to the existingbuildings . The extensive steelwork elements of the projectwere carried out by William Hare Ltd. The site was large, buthad the added complication that the British Gypsum factorywas still Lend Lease and William Hare Ltd had to safeguardoperatives, who were unloading deliveries of steel, againstfalls from the bed of the vehicle. Often steel can be unloadedusing a forklift truck. However on this project, some of thesteel deliveries were too heavy, too long or awkwardlyshaped for the forklift truck to lift.
2 Therefore, operativesneeded to access the bed of the vehicle to sling the steeland so risked falling from the solutionWilliam Hare Ltd adopted a method used previously for smallsites in London. It is a trailer edge protection system,developed and fabricated within the company (patentpending). It has a steel universal beam at its base, usingwelded galvanised steel standards (which include holes atvarious levels). The system is secured to the trailer using within the standards are extensions, fixed in positionby bolts in the lower standards. Fitted to the extensions arefour horizontal guardrails. These are spaced at no more than450mm, providing scaffold-like edge protection. The systemcan be raised up to 16 feet from the floor, with anyadjustment being made using the holes/bolts in thestandards, depending on the height of the steel load. Thisgives collective fall protection at different levels. The systemis available in different sizes, to suit different lengths of addition, the trailer bed is accessed using aluminiumpodium steps or, where space allows, a purpose-built gantrystair system at the rear of the resultsThe system prevents operatives falling when loading orunloading vehicles and is relatively quick and easy to system can be left in position and vehicles driven betweenparallel sets of standards, where they are spaced at thecorrect width for the vehicle, or the edge protection positionedafter the vehicle is parked up ready to be onto the bed of the vehicle is by steps with height adjustment means the system can adapt todiffering load heights.
3 The system is also easy to manoeuvreusing a crane or 1 Trailer edge protection system with access platform and stepsFigure 2 System in use Health and Safety ExecutivePublished by the Health and Safety Executive WPT case study 1009/07
