| Improvements in vehicle tipping safety |
Incidents where lorries have overturned when discharging material can most often be attributed to uneven tipping areas or badly loaded vehicles. The only stocking area at this quarry was on sloping ground, and so with this in mind, a review was undertaken of the stocking area and tipping procedures and led to the following recommendations:
- A survey of the stock area was to be carried out to establish the direction and angle of fall of each stock pile. From this information it was possible to reposition all the stockpiles so that vehicles could only tip on level ground.
- A tipping card is given to the lorry driver at the weighbridge. The driver must answer a number of safety checkpoints provided on the card before proceeding to the correct stockpile. A map is also provided showing tipping direction arrows for each stockpile. CCTV cameras are present so load distribution can be assessed.
- A facility was designed and constructed to allow lorries to safely tip off if concerns arose with the condition of the stocking area, bad load distribution, or there were mechanical problems with the lorry.
- A level concrete pad was laid in front of two aggregate sheds to allow articulated vehicles to tip parallel to the bays. The loading shovel then pushes up the load into the bay. Previously, restricted space meant vehicles could not align the cab and body when tipping.
Driver satisfaction and confidence has been improved due to a reduced risk of vehicles overturning. |
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