Staying conversant with current health and safety law can be a difficult and time consuming task but have you considered that you may also need to be up to date with road traffic law too? If your business delivers goods, then a full understanding of the laws governing their safe transport and handling is a must. Ignorance of the law is no excuse and discovering you were in breach of the law after an incident will not prevent a substantial fine or in the most extreme cases, even a custodial sentence.

Obviously, road traffic law is only one area that effects companies transporting goods. Site safety with regard to handling and storage is another sphere where your knowledge and understanding of current guidelines and best practice needs to be continually updated. Armed with the latest information you’ll be in a much better position to make informed decisions which in turn will hopefully lead to cost effective solutions to help keep employees and visitors safe and the workplace accident free. 

While having the relevant information is vital, it’s of little use unless you act upon it, update or implement new procedures and invest in equipment where necessary. Potentially, one of the most hazardous areas of any factory is the goods inwards and outwards departments. However, risks can be minimised by outfitting those areas with well designed, high quality dock loading equipment. Goods inwards and outwards is really only a small part of the story though. The lifting, handling and general movement of goods and materials around your business is another area where risks can be minimised. With some careful planning and the utilisation of specialist equipment any workplace can be made safer. Finally, the storage of goods shouldn’t be overlooked. There are many regulations governing the safe, secure storage of goods and equipment produced specifically for the task will usually prove not only to be the safest but often, the most cost effective in the long term. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) host a number of one day courses focused on site and transport safety. They’re designed to help companies understand their responsibilities under current legislation. The courses are suitable for site and transport managers working in general haulage, warehousing and distribution. More details can be found via the HSE website.

For regular Action Handling updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter,  Sign up to our monthly newsletter for company news and information.