BUSINESS HELPDESK HELP DESK
CONTROL THE RISK
Your guide to keeping people and products safe and secure in branch.
FOLLOWING REPORTS LAST month that a haulage company in Oldham has been fined £85,000 after a forklift truck driver was killed while loading an HGV, the publication of the Builders Merchants Federation’s latest Safety Guide could not be more timely.
The driver was loading pallets when the lorry unexpectedly moved forward causing his forklift to overturn, trapping him under the vehicle. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died as a result of his injuries.
The court heard that wearing a seat belt would have been highly likely to save his life. An investigation by the HSE found his employer had failed to sufficiently manage vehicle movements through safe systems of work or to enforce seatbelt rules for forklift truck operatives.
Safe practice when using Mechanical Handling Equipment is just one of the areas covered
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in the BMF Safety Guide Material Storage and Handling in Branch. A lift truck pulled over by an HGV moving during offload is one of the potential hazards highlighted in a case study of a similar incident that occurred on a merchant’s yard.
The BMF’s latest Safety Guide is designed to help individual businesses identify, assess, and appropriately control risks and potential hazards within their business.
Available free of charge to members, the 28-page document has been developed by senior health and safety representatives from merchant, supplier, and service member companies. It summarises the hazards that present themselves whilst handling and storing the full range of materials found in a builders’ merchant, and the controls available to mitigate the risks. The Guide provides illustrated
advice, information and recommended best practice showing methods of safe operation that are endorsed by the BMF. It also includes examples of poor practice and examines why these are likely to create a hazard and how they can be avoided. It also recognises that trading branches come in all shapes and sizes and sets out a number of potential risk mitigation strategies to enable individual business to consider why the control measures they select are the right choices for their circumstances.
Material Storage and Handling in Branch is the latest in a series of BMF business guides which provide cross over relevance. Earlier publications cover subjects such as workplace traffic management and load security and should be used in conjunction with the latest guidance.
The new Safety Guide specifically covers:
• loading, unloading, breaking down and moving goods best practice • yard layout, traffic routes and signage to separate people from moving vehicles • correct storage of different materials to prevent injury by falling product, falling from height or general injuries when handling bulk bags • specialist sections on the handling and storage of timber and steel reinforcing mesh • the use of the correct PPE to prevent injury when moving or handling materials.
• BMF members can download a free copy of the Safety Guide to Material Storage and Handling in Branch from the Information Centre/Business Guides section of the BMF website
www.bmf.
org.uk where you can also find out about the many benefits of BMF membership.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net June 2024
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