• An experienced contract HGV driver was delivering concrete sand to a concrete plant. He positioned the trailer at the aggregate hopper and started to tip, when the tipper body was at the 3rd ram the driver heard a loud bang and the tipper body dropped to the passenger side from the chassis at the tipping bar and the trailer body overturned.
• Fortunately, the tractor unit and chassis remained upright, and no injuries were sustained by the driver or any third parties
• The cause of the incident was the failure of the weld securing the tipping body hanger to the tipping bar. The hanger that detached was secured by tack welds that were insufficient and failed when the body was being raised. The trailer was on hire to the contract haulier.

• Drivers must be fully aware of their surroundings – always get out of your vehicle before tipping to check the delivery site conditions, camber and for the presence of overhead cables or other hazards. 

• An adequate exclusion zone must be maintained from people, vehicles, plant and excavations whilst tipping.
• The exclusion zone must be at least one and a half times the maximum height of the tipper.
• A 15 metre exclusion zone must be observed when articulated lorries are tipping. Never tandem tip.

• Do not tip if any persons are in the exclusion zone and do not egress the vehicle to operate conveyor controls

• Drivers must remain inside the cab, wear their seatbelt and keep the windows raised whilst tipping.

• A site banksman or other personnel may not understand the risk created by camber, ground conditions, overhead cables and other obstructions whilst tipping. If you feel you are being asked to tip in a dangerous location by personnel on site, do not proceed. Contact your immediate management for guidance and if necessary, use your stop work card.
• Report defects and safety observations – we can’t fix what we don’t know about –we need your help to make improvements.

Nothing we do is so important that we cannot take the time to do it safely.