Delegates at the 2011 Australian Trucking Convention will get best practice advice on how to safely separate people and equipment while loading and unloading, with a keynote presentation by the compliance manager at K&S Freighters, Simon Skazlic.

The convention will be held at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, from 25-28 May.

Mr Skazlic said the safety of truck drivers and other personnel around mobile plant during loading and unloading was a significant safety issue for every business in the supply chain.

“Accidents during vehicle loading and unloading cause severe injuries and deaths every year. K&S Freighters has led a joint industry committee known as the LUEZ (loading, unloading exclusion zones) committee to develop best practice guidelines to prevent these accidents from happening,” Mr Skazlic said.

“We identified three fundamental principles that should be incorporated into any system for managing loading and unloading. These are:

• forklifts and other equipment used for loading and unloading, and drivers and other pedestrians, should be segregated;
• authority for the area where loading and unloading is occurring should reside with the forklift operator; and
• if the driver ceases to be in the direct line of sight of the forklift operator, then activity should immediately stop until line of sight is re-established.

“In my presentation, I will provide delegates with best practice controls for implementing these principles in their businesses.

“These controls include using standard colours to mark no-go and safe zones, so visiting drivers and employees who change jobs can see at a glance where they are safe. At the moment, the industry is all over the place.

“Delegates will be able to apply these best practice controls as soon as they get back to work on the Monday after the convention. They’re not expensive. They work.

“I will also talk about how our LUEZ Steering Committee worked together to develop these guidelines, as a great example of how the industry can work with government to improve safety,” Mr Skazlic said.

K&S Freighters is a major linehaul carrier that transports full load and break bulk consignments throughout Australia. The company is a member of the Australian Trucking Association.