In the latter months of 2021, there were three incidents in which drivers reported unsafe lifting practices involving concrete skips.
The incidents involved: lifting the fully loaded skip over the top of trucks and cabs; damage to the chutes and light cluster of a concrete mixer; and a driver nearly trapped between the skip and the rear of a concrete mixer.
Complying with LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Regulations 1998), PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) and CDM (Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 forms part of all lifting operations, including the lifting of concrete skips.
“After three recent incidents on-site involving concrete skips, we would like to remind every one of the dangers of working with, and around these skips when discharging concrete on-site,” said Mark Cowan, the BAA’s director of transport, logistics & concrete.
The safety alert includes this video and poses a series of questions:
The questions that the BAA says should be asked include:
- Why were the two operatives so close to the load?
- Was it the hoist rope or an accessory that failed?
- Had the LOLER statutory inspections been carried out and were they in date?
- Had daily inspections been carried out?
- Was the concrete skip overloaded?
- Had the concrete skip been properly maintained and had it been cleaned out so the actual weight was known?
- What training had the site operatives had?
- Had the crane operator received equipment specific training?
- Was all training up to date?
- Had a risk assessment been carried out?
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