Over 60 clients, contractors, plant manufacturers, federations, regulatory bodies, plant hirers and owners attended the latest construction industry forum on Forward Tipping Dumpers, jointly hosted by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), at Nuthurst Grange in Solihull, West Midlands.
Following a number of serious incidents involving Forward Tipping Dumpers, this forum followed meetings held in October 2016 hosted by the CPA and the HSE and afterwards in January 2017 hosted at Tonic Construction. A number of working groups were subsequently set up to seek a number of solutions that could help reduce and alleviate future incidents. This most recent industry forum was held to bring all parties back together, take stock of subsequent developments and seek ways of defining and adopting a range of measures for industry.
Kevin Minton, Director of the CPA, and Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of CECA, co-hosted the forum and outlined that the ultimate priority is to avoid accidents happening involving Forward Tipping Dumpers. The two key risks include tackling overturning and improving stability of Forward Tipping Dumpers and to address the risk of individuals being struck by the machines by improving visibility and providing warnings. At the forum it was agreed that a total of seven principles will be used as the basis of an Action Plan to take forward, relating to full vision, stability, training, competence, spoil heaps, exclusion and equipment selection.
The CPA has already produced a safe-use guidance document, aimed principally at operators for refresher training purposes, and it was agreed at the forum that an operational Good Practice Guide on Forward Tipping Dumpers would be produced through the Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group, administered by CPA.
A number of individual working groups are being formulated to discuss and action the seven principles, before convening at the next construction industry forum including a group to provide a supplementary document to the Plant Safety Group’s work on Ground Conditions by providing guidance and recommendations for the travelling of dumpers on spoil heaps. Other topics of discussion during the day included the use of seatbelts and enforcement issues, and the design and strength of cabs which will allow an operator to stay seated when being loaded.
Kevin Minton, Director of the CPA commented: “Accidents and incidents involving Forward Tipping Dumpers are caused in a number of different ways and we need a range of solutions to ensure the operator is safe and the general public is safe. The industry forum generated action points from which we can help to reduce the risk of accidents occurring, improve management of sites, commit to best practice and enhance awareness of operatives and operators. Through the Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group, the CPA will be producing a Good Practice Guide on Forward Tipping Dumpers which will be available as a free download on the CPA website and will be used to support and compliment other publications such as the HSE HSG 144 document regarding the safe use of vehicles on construction sites.”
Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of CECA said: “We have made a tremendous amount of progress in a short space of time and have strong support from across the industry to work together to enhance the safety of Forward Tipping Dumpers. There is a need to engage wider industry and we are looking to implement an awareness campaign such as the provision of a website to find more information about Forward Tipping Dumpers.”
Photograph courtesy of http://slltraining.co.uk
