Summary
• DTE hopes its safety methods will become an industry standard.
• Standing on a lorry bed breaches working at height regulations.
• DTE has worked closely with the UKTFA on the safety scheme.
• The initiative is being backed by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and City & Guilds.

As accidents at work in the construction industry continue to make for alarming reading, Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) has focused on improving the safety of one of industry’s biggest risk areas – unloading roof trusses.

Since dedicated work on improving this hazard began in 2008, DTE has put a number of significant safety measures in place, including: the introduction of colour-coded systems to ensure that drivers know how to safely unload batches; placing safety messages on vehicles, and developing systems to remove the need to get onto the lorry – a system which has been acknowledged as best practice by the Health & Safety Executive.

Industry standard

DTE’s ultimate objective is that its safety methods become an industry standard and that consequently such measures are applied by all sites across the UK. In November last year, this ambition took a step towards becoming a reality when a group of Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) members came together to find a solution to the risks posed by the offloading of trusses.

“Offloading trusses can be very dangerous,” explained Mark Murphy, integrated systems manager for Donaldson’s and chairman of the TRA Safety Committee. “In the past, drivers had often found the easiest way to offload the batch was by getting onto the lorry, which is not only unsafe, but is in breach of working at height regulations.

“Working in partnership with timber frame manufacturer Prestoplan, we organised a demonstration of our safer offload system. This then gave the basis for discussions on how the system could be improved and implemented nationwide.

“Originally, the initiative was to just be a joint venture between Prestoplan and DTE. However, it was soon recognised that the scheme had significant merits, generating interest from the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) and the TRA. This resulted in us organising the demonstration with the hope that the scheme would be adopted by the respective members.”

The system proposed by DTE is a simple but effective one.

“We’ve been working hard to combat offloading malpractice and to improve the safety of our drivers,” continued Mr Murphy. “Our system enables us to supply our trusses pre-slung with sacrificial [single-use only] slings. This makes it possible for the trusses to be lifted from the lorry directly onto the roof or storage area, and no-one needs to set foot on the back of a lorry.

Two-colour system

“As well as fitting the trusses with slings, we also operate a two-colour banding system [blue bands around the pack and white bands connecting the pack to the lorry frame] to ensure the driver knows which colour of banding to cut when unloading. All of DTE’s drivers are provided with a set of telescopic cutters, so the bands can be cut from the ground.”

All those who attended the meeting were impressed by what they saw, and the results of this are becoming apparent.

“I’m delighted to say that since our meeting, steps have been taken to make truss offloading safer across the industry,” said Mr Murphy.

“From discussions following the demonstration, it was felt that knowledge of the systems needed to be expanded. Haulage drivers are one of the most at risk on a building site, and unfortunately are often the most overlooked. Drivers often have limited know-ledge of the product they are delivering, and don’t feel confident enough to advise customers on the best and safest methods to unload. Individually, companies can develop systems to address this problem, but we agreed this is limited in its appeal and value.

“Following the meeting, members from the TRA and the UKTFA decided to work together to tackle the issue; this led to the idea of training lorry drivers, and together we have managed to secure the backing of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and City and Guilds.”

Driver training

It is hoped that lorry drivers will soon need to complete workbooks training them in practical skills to improve their knowledge of how to safely unload roof trusses with a variety of unloading equipment. This will make the driver more aware and, with their qualifications, more confident in being able to advise the client of the safest way to unload.

Another plus for this development is that the scheme can also benefit the haulage company, as the training can count towards the Certificate in Professional Competence training that drivers have to take. The major housebuilders are also fully supportive of the initiative, as a formal recognised training course will ensure that the driver has the necessary skills, knowledge and competence to be a valued person on site.

“All of the ideas we have proposed are incredibly simple but, if we all implement them, we could make a real difference to the safety of our industry,” said Mr Murphy.