WILL YOU ALSO BE FOCUSSING ON ‘SAFETY AWARENESS’ WHEN YOU TAKE TO THE ROAD ON 20 MARCH?
Wednesday 20 March 2019 is ‘Safety Awareness’ day. On this day, construction, maintenance, infrastructure and installation companies will be focussing on safety at work with the aim of ensuring that everyone is healthy and safe when they get home at the end of the working day and healthy when they retire at the end of their career. The Safety Awareness day will primarily focus on construction site safety. However, transporting building materials and equipment safely is just as important. Things often go wrong as far as this is concerned too.
In the construction and installation sector, workers often take materials and tools to the work site themselves in a van. If those materials are not secured properly, dangerous situations can arise. The materials can start to slip or fly across the van, causing damage to the vehicle or – even more seriously – an accident. Naturally, you want to stop that from happening. So always make sure that your materials are properly secured and cannot start to slip. Good lighting is also an important requirement when it comes to working safely.
TIPS FOR TRANSPORTING MATERIALS AND TOOLS SAFELY
CARGO SECURING
- Secure your materials and tools properly and safely in your van. With the help of an Airline anchor rail, you can fix load bars anywhere you want in your van or attach lashings using an Airline fitting.
- Make sure that you are familiar with cargo securing regulations. We have drawn up a handy checklist on cargo securing.
- If you carry items on the roof of your van, you should always fit certified roof racks and secure the items properly. A ladder roller will make it easier for you to load and unload ladders, planks and other long objects ergonomically.
- If you are transporting items on your roof, you should also take into account that your van’s centre of gravity will change.
- For safety reasons, loads must not protrude more than 20 cm beyond the size of the van. The total width of your van including cargo must not exceed 2.55 m or 2.20 m on unpaved roads.
TRANSPORTING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
- Make sure that there is an airtight seal between the loading area of your van and the cab.
- Make sure that you are familiar with the regulations for the Carriage of Hazardous substances Overland (VLG regulations) when transporting hazardous substances in a van.
- If you carry limited quantities of hazardous substances in your van, the so-called 1000 points rule will apply. According to this, sufficient ventilation must be provided in a van if you are carrying certain gases. This can be done by installing a roof ventilator.
LIGHTING
- If you also use your van as a mobile workshop or work at night, good lighting is not an unnecessary luxury. The standard loading area lighting can easily be replaced by LED lighting.
- Fitting an extra work lamp to your van will also enable you to work more efficiently and safely on site in the dark, e.g. on a construction site.
- Where necessary, you can add roof- or grille-mounted flash lamps to increase your visibility to others.
OTHER TIPS
- Before setting off, always check that you have good visibility and that your mirrors are adjusted correctly.
- If you have to get in and out of your van frequently, fitting an entry system will make conditions safer for you by reducing the step height.
