Section: Safety
Title: Safe Deliveries
Author: BY H.S.A

Safe Deliveries
Deliveries and collections are essential to business, but can be some of the most dangerous activities you have to deal with. Risks may include manual handling injuries when moving the goods, being struck by a moving vehicle or simply falling off the vehicle. The drivers of these vehicles are often the victims. Many delivery and collection accidents could be prevented if there was better co-operation between the parties involved.

Joint Responsibility
Individuals (mostly drivers) are often unfairly blamed for accidents which could have been prevented if duty holders had co-operated with one another. The three key duty holders are:
• the supplier sending the goods
• the carrier – the haulier or other company carrying the goods
• the recipient – the person receiving the goods

Joint Responsibility for Safe Deliveries
In order to ensure deliveries & collections are carried out safely there must be effective co-operation between the main duty holders. Risks must be assessed and safe systems of work implemented.

Some Key Risks:
• people falling from height off vehicles
• vehicle collisions
• people hit or run over by vehicles
• people struck by falling objects

Safe System of Work:
• safe vehicles & equipment; suitable for job & in good repair
competent staff; trained drivers
• provision & safe use of appropriate PPE for the activities involved
• avoid/manage work at height activities
• keep vehicles & people apart where practicable
• plan for safe loading/securing
• plan for deliveries/collections. A Safe delivery plan!

Safe Delivery Plan:
The general principles that suppliers, carriers and recipients should follow are:
• send out safety information on deliveries and collections to other
parties in the delivery chain
• request safety information on deliveries and collections from other
parties in the delivery chain
• include information on how the vehicle was loaded if this is needed
for safe unloading.
• plan the best times for deliveries to arrive
• know the route, anticipate problems
• plan to have the right people and equipment ready to handle the
delivery when it arrives
• plan how to keep the driver & all others who may be affected by the
activity safe

What the Law Requires
Road Traffic legislation requires that vehicles are maintained in a roadworthy condition and safe to use when on the public road. So whether you own, lease, hire or borrow a vehicle used for deliveries or collections, you must make sure that it is safe for use and fit for the purpose for which it is intended

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005
(No. 10 of 2005) requires:
• Employers manage and conduct their work activities
(including; Loading/Securing/Deliveries/
Unloading/ Collections) in such a manner as to
ensure the safety,
health and welfare of employees.
• That a risk assessment is carried out by the employer
or person in control of the place of work.
• Transport hazards that exist in the workplace
must be assessed as part of this risk assessment
and appropriate steps taken to eliminate or reduce
any risks found.
Note: Vehicles are defined as a Place of Work
under the Act. Hence, under Section 8 of the Act,
the employer must ensure so far as reasonably
practicable that:
• Vehicles are designed, provided and maintained in
a condition that is safe and without risk to health
• Safe means of access and egress to and from the
vehicle is designed, provided and maintained
• Systems of work are planned, organised, performed,
maintained and revised as appropriate, for example
safe systems of work must be available for vehicle
loading, deliveries and unloading activities
• Information, instruction, training and supervision is
provided for all employees who operate work
related vehicles
• Employers need to familiarise themselves with the
risks that their employees face and create when
using vehicles for work or when working in the
vicinity of moving vehicles. This applies equally to
the workplace and to the public road.
•The Health & Safety Authority urges businesses to apply the
following top ten tips to managing vehicle risks in
the workplace.

Top 10 Workplace Transport Safety Tips
1.   Control entry to your workplace.
2.   Keep pedestrians & vehicles apart.
3.   Eliminate vehicle reversing, where possible.
4.   Provide clearly marked pedestrian walkways.
5.   Mark & signpost vehicle only areas.
6.   Ensure all work areas are well lit.
7.   Keep traffic routes free of obstructions/ mark
permanent obstructions.
8.   Provide impact protection for vulnerable parts of
the workplace such as lamp posts & columns.
9.   Provide & wear high visibility personal protective
equipment.
10. Accompany visitors.

More information on managing work related vehicle risks can be found at:
http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Vehicles_at_Work
www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport

The author hereby acknowledges content sourced from www.hse.gov.uk in compilation this article.