Sideloaders can be fatal if not used properly, and can put truck drivers, and other transport workers at risk.
The New Zealand Intermodal Transport Safety Group (NZITSG), made up of transport operators, manufacturers, industry associations and the industry training provider Mito, have developed a safety guide for working with them that has been endorsed by WorkSafe.
The Good Practice Guide: Safe Operation and Maintenance of Sideloaders has all the key safety information from across all sideloader user manuals and sets it out in an easy-to-understand way.
Murray Young, the chair of NZITSG, says the guide is free to anyone who wants it.
“Maintaining it and keeping the standards current, will be an ongoing process,” Murray says.
“The guide is supported by an industry accord that stakeholders and transport operators can sign up to. This demonstrates compliance and support for the guide, which will be continually improved to take into account technology advancements, training and the unit standard will be refreshed to reflect its evolution.”
Dom Kalasih, interim CEO of Transporting New Zealand says the guide will have clear benefits for the transport industry.
“This is an excellent illustration of the transport industry taking the initiative to use its collective expertise and knowledge to reduce risk and create practical solutions that can be easily put into practice.”
The endorsement from WorkSafe sends a clear signal to the industry that the programme is supported and meets the standards required to deliver better health and safety outcomes.
The guide can be downloaded here.
