25 June 2009

Unsafe Reel Handling - could your company be open to prosecution?

Following the prosecution of a West Yorkshire printer after a visiting driver suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a moving reel of paper whilst helping to unload a delivery to a print company in June 2008, the BPIF and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are reminding the print industry of the dangers of loading and unloading reels of paper from delivery vehicles.

The driver was removing securing chocks to large paper reels to allow them to be rolled to the back of a trailer for unloading when a large reel, nearly a metre wide and weighing around 1.5tonnes, rolled from the back towards the front of the trailer crushing the driver between two other reels.

The company concerned was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,205.10 and a £15 victim surcharge at Halifax Magistrates Court in May after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Following the incident, an Improvement Notice was served requiring the devising of a safe system of work for unloading paper reels from delivery vehicles on the premises that avoided dangerous and uncontrolled movements of heavy reels.

Companies are advised to review their procedures for the loading and unloading of vehicles and ensure where possible that paper reels are no longer handled manually but unloaded mechanically from the sides of trailers with a clamp truck in accordance with a safe system of work. Drivers should no longer assist but asked to wait in a safe area until the loading/unloading is complete. Suppliers should be made aware of any changes that will affect their operations.