Hire and Rental News - November 2018

INDUSTRY in FOCUS from personnel and pedestrians with a physical barrier; (The driver and spotter safe zones are to be delineated with a minimum of four green witches hats or by a means that clearly identifies these areas a safe zone.) 2. The authority for the load/unload exclusion zone resides with the forklift/crane operator when a forklift/ crane is being used and the spotter when equipment is being winched, driven or free wheeled on or off a transport vehicle; 3. If the driver/spotter ceases to be in the direct line of sight of the operator at any stage during the load/unload activity then the activity must stop immediately until the direct line of sight is re-established. For each Coates Hire managed location the following requirements are non- negotiable: 1. A Coates Hire spotter must be in control of the designated load/unload exclusion zone and the process being undertaken whenever loads are being driven, winched or free-wheeled to or from a transport vehicle. This does not apply to site accommodation equipment and skid mounted equipment being winched to or from a tilt tray truck; 2. A Coates Hire spotter is required whenever site accommodation and/or traffic management barriers are being loaded or unloaded by forklift or crane in a Coates Hire managed location (in conjunction with the Pre-Transit checklist for site accommodation equipment and the safe work method statement (SWMS) for traffic barriers); 3. The forklift operator is in control of the designated load/unload exclusion zone whenever a load is being forked to or from a transport vehicle; 4. When loading or unloading equipment with the use of a forklift where the load/unload exclusion zone is not segregated by a physical barrier (eg: concrete, steel, water filled, T-Top bollards with chain, retractable rope/chain, etc), a Coates Hire spotter must be present for all loading and unloading activities. The forklift driver remains in control of the load/unload process. Brandon said there were three workplace health and safety incidents at Coates Hire in recent years that led to the procedural changes. These incidents included: • a staff member had fingers crushed by barriers while unloading; • a driver was struck by a forklift un- associated with the loading process; • a driver was struck by a forklift while un-restraining a load. In the incident where the driver had fingers crushed between the tray of a truck and roadside barriers during the unload process, the incident occurred as a result of a lack of planning and communication between all involved in the process. The other incidents were a result of mobile equipment and personnel not being separated from each other by a physical barrier. Brandon said reinforcing the message is a vital part of the procedural change. Coates Hire is: • developing E-Learning modules that are more interactive and engaging to assist in the learning process and retention of information; • Coates Hire has also developed a short video showing the Safe Zones in animation. This video also shows the reality of what happens when it all goes wrong; • Coates Hire is taking a three phased ‘license’ process to ensure the individual – regardless of being the driver, yardy, or sales coordinator – completely understands the process. The three phases of the ‘license’ process are: Theory (E-Learning): • Driver Inductions; • Safe Zone E-Learning Modules. Application: • E-Learning Modules for JSEA, Chain of Responsibility & Spotting; • Practical supervised training – Complete observe and assess loading and unloading processes. Assessment: • Capability Assessment. Once all the phases have been completed, staff are cleared to manage all load/ unload processes. Managing the risks in transport load/ unload when operating away from Coates Hire locations requires the use of Transport JSEAs (Job Safety & Environment Analysis) to assist identifying any hazards and mitigate the associated risks. “Within all Coates Hire managed locations we have our Load and Unload Exclusion Zones and the procedure that supports this process. These are our risk management steps to ensure all loading and unloading activities are undertaken safely while in our locations,” Brandon said. “When we are delivering or collecting equipment from other locations such as customers, suppliers, repairers, etc we do not always have specific Load/Unload Exclusion Zones. This means our primary hazard and risk control tool is then our Transport JSEA: • the JSEA helps identify hazards and risks and put in place measures to control or eliminate the hazards and risks; • if you are unsure, STOP and speak to your Supervisor or Manager; • progressively complete the JSEA before the load/unload and after the load (for measurements). “Our Transport JSEA is used to identify all hazards and risks on sites outside of Coates Hire locations associated with the activity staff are about to commence and assist with eliminating or controlling the identified hazards and risks before staff commence the task. As always if staff are unable to adequately control the identified hazards and risks or if staff are unsure, STOP and contact your Manager/Supervisor. “Progressively complete the JSEA before the load/unload and after the load (for measurements).” Transport JSEA E-Learning and Transport JSEA Training Video are also part of the new Coates Hire procedures. Visit: www.coateshire.com.au Reinforcing procedural change around Transport Loading & Unloading continued from p14... 16 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2018