Falls in transport

Every year, hundreds of transport workers are injured in falls at work. Common injuries include to the head, back and legs and can mean significant time off work and long-term recovery.

This October, November and December SafeWork NSW will be visiting transport businesses around NSW to raise awareness and identify fall risks.

Safety alert video - Falls from flatbed trucks

Other areas of compliance in our sights include worker safety at delivery sites, safety during loading and unloading of vehicles, consultation with workers, and respect at work.

Over the last 3 years, over 3,300 fall-related injuries have been reported to SafeWork NSW with over $330 million in workers compensation claims. Falls from trucks, semi-trailers and lorries were a significant contributing factor to these figures.

Don't become a statistic.

Take steps to protect yourself and your workers

Fall-related incidents cost businesses in lost work time and money.

There are key steps transport business owners and workers can take to reduce the risk of injuries from falls in the workplace.

Plan

Ensure:

  • you develop a work plan in consultation with all workers involved in the task. This should detail how to perform the task
  • drivers have suitable information and training. This should include a safe system of work and loading and unloading procedures
  • a traffic management plan is in place and all workers attending the site are provided with this information
  • workers are trained and competent in using plant and machinery (such as cranes), as well as lifting equipment. This includes holding high risk work licences where required.

Establish a system

Ensure:

  • a safe system of work is established and workers only move objects from ground level where possible
  • if working from ground level is not possible, ensure that a safe system of work is developed to access the tray for work to be undertaken
  • an exclusion zone is set up around the truck during loading/unloading processes to separate plant and machinery from people.

Set up for safe work

Ensure:

  • you identify and eliminate hazards before loading or unloading materials
  • workers wear appropriate personal protective equipment, for example high-visibility clothing
  • a compentent person regularly inpects and maintains plant and machinery
  • you pre-configure loads to allow easy access and removal during the unloading process
  • you immobilise the truck so it cannot move during the loading/unloading process. For example the handbrake and stabilisers are deployed
  • workers do not place themselves between the load and the truck or other equipment.

Use the right equipment

Ensure:

  • you select a suitable vehicle to transport the load
  • you use lifting equipment such as a forklift or crane to remove objects from trucks
  • you use temporary platforms, guard rails or fall arrest systems to minimise the risk of falling when completing tasks at a height
  • you use fasteners and load restraint systems
 

Tools and resources

Transport, falls, loading and unloading

Psychosocial hazards, respect at work

Consultation

Incident information releases

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