2079 Safe Handling Certificate.

[hookster]

I must agree having had both types of vehicles over my career, I was amazed at being allowed to drive around in an estate car packed to the gunwales and then told by the office to just go and pick up a large gas cylinder from the wholesalers!

I personally hated the estate and the need to try and cram all my equipment into a vehicle then unload it onsite to try and get to the tools at the bottom. The van when well laid out neat and secured was the best tool in the business and made finding and carrying that extra bit of kit I was able to carry that I could not fit in the car.

Unsecured loads in a vehicle are an accident waiting to happen and at the end of the day you just want to go to work, do your job to the best of your ability and go home to your family.

For the employer never forget the vehicle you give your employees should be fit for purpose and ensure you are doing everything reasonably practicable to safe guard them.


The Health and Safety at Work Act sets out the duties of the employer to ensure, so far as is
reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees and those who
may be affected by their work activities. This duty extends to the safety concerning the provision and
maintenance of plant, equipment and systems of work, the safety in handling, storing and transporting
articles and substances, and providing adequate training and supervision of employees in their work
activities. It also makes provision concerning the possession and use of dangerous substances.
No specific references are made in the Act concerning the safe restraint of vehicle cargo in a road
accident, but this is implied under the duties of the act set out for the employer. Principally it is stated
in the Act that an employer takes all reasonable and practical steps to ensure the safety and welfare of
their employees and others that may be affected by their work activities. The requirement for
“reasonable and practical steps” is particularly relevant for the safe restraint of cargo under accident
conditions. It implies that specific risks may be unavoidable on the grounds that there are no
reasonable and practical steps to completely eliminate the risk. For instance, there are inherent risks of
falling associated with employees using ladders or flights of stairs in their work activities. It is
impractical to consider that the risks from using ladders and stairs could be completely eliminated but
appropriate measures should be taken to manage the risks by providing, appropriate training in the use
of ladders and hand rails on stairwells. Similarly, in an accident it may not be possible to completely
eliminate the risk posed by cargo carried by a vehicle as the potential accident severity may limit the
reasonable and practical steps that could be taken to eliminate the risk of the cargo causing harm or
injury

[djbe]

I must agree having had both types of vehicles over my career, I was amazed at being allowed to drive around in an estate car packed to the gunwales and then told by the office to just go and pick up a large gas cylinder from the wholesalers!

I personally hated the estate and the need to try and cram all my equipment into a vehicle then unload it onsite to try and get to the tools at the bottom. The van when well laid out neat and secured was the best tool in the business and made finding and carrying that extra bit of kit I was able to carry that I could not fit in the car.

Unsecured loads in a vehicle are an accident waiting to happen and at the end of the day you just want to go to work, do your job to the best of your ability and go home to your family.

For the employer never forget the vehicle you give your employees should be fit for purpose and ensure you are doing everything reasonably practicable to safe guard them.

I agree 100% but.. the problem is the employee also needs to say this is not safe, I need an appropriate vehicle for the job.
Realistically, these large firms should have the common sense to know an estate car is not a service vehicle, but maybe they are also pandering to many engineers who don't want to be seen in a van? Perhaps part of the package is a car which they can take their family out and about on the day off, a van is not so cool.

I think you may be an exception hookster but when I see "engineers" constantly changing out of bling white trainers to their safety boots then back again when the job is finished I just think why waste your time. And I would hazard a guess that these guy's don't want to be seen in a van either. Me, I don't give a monkey's, prefer my van over anything, prefer a pair of toecaps over anything, white trainers eeek...