Difficult unloading: Unsafe

Find out how this scenario can be made safer

Site description

In a residential area of town a textile manufacturing and distribution company receives regular deliveries of fabric and garments. Their loading bay was often obstructed by builders skips and other debris, forcing large articulated trucks to park on the busy roadside.

The accident

One afternoon in April, a lorry driver was delivering a consignment of garments packed in roll cages. He was moving the goods unaided and stepped out slightly from the rear of his vehicle just as a truck passed. He was hit, and knocked back against his own truck.

The consequences

The lorry driver died in hospital two days later after suffering severe internal injuries. In the enquiry that followed, the Judge found that the unsatisfactory loading area contributed to the accident, and recommended the company implement suitable improvements.