An injury has occurred in Melbourne where a young worker was injured while on duty. The worker was lucky to have escaped without being crushed. This incident brings to light the need to ensure safety whenever working around trucks or working with large and heavy loads.

As News.com.au reports:

A HOUSE being moved has fallen from the back of a truck and injured a worker in Melbourne’s east.

The victim, aged in his late teens, was hurt at 2pm (AEST) when the weatherboard house fell from the truck in Princetown Rd, Mount Waverley.

According to another report on the incident by Abc.net.au:

Crews took 45 minutes to free the man, who suffered back and leg injuries.

Emergency Services commander Brad Quinn says it was a “very complicated rescue”.

“We had to take a lot of time and ensure that the structure was safe for our crews to work in and around, and in doing so once that was secured, we were able to get the person out,” he said.

He says the teenager was lucky.

“The person’s received some minor back soreness and leg soreness,” he said.

“They’re quite lucky they were able to get out of the way of the falling structure, and it pinned them in a position where there’s no crush injuries.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-09/house-falls-from-truck-pins-teenager/4001316

The workers involved were lucky that there were no fatalities. However it is important that workers know how to properly secure their particular load and follow the correct safety procedures.

Here are a few tips on how to carry a load safely

1.    Depending on your load, choose an appropriate vehicle.
2.    Ensure that you place and position your load securely.
3.    Use the appropriate and suitable restraint equipment – it should be ‘rated’ and meet Australian Standards
4.    regularly check on your restraints throughout the procedure. 

Remember different loads should be transported differently. There are general checks you can do, but the way you carry a load will depend on the load itself.

1. Similar items need to be bundled together, in a more stable single unit
2. Use restraints when packing wooden boards; anti-slip matting prevents items from sliding, especially long items
3. Webbing straps are more effective and simple to use than rope, which can be difficult to keep tight across your load.
4. When webbing straps are available use them instead. 
5. Nets and tarpaulins may be used to restrain lighter items
6. Loose sheets of building materials may be restrained by fitting them tightly in trays and then securing them properly with restraints
7. Make sure heavy items are not loaded on top of lighter items
8. Most headboards and loading racks aren’t strong enough to fully restrain heavy loads
9. Use metal or heavy-duty plastic top corner protector angles to protect cartons
10. High and narrow items such as stacks of smaller cartons usually need more than one restraint
11. Fill spaces and gaps between piles with other items and make sure these are restrained as well

Employers too have a responsibility to ensure workplace safety procedures are followed if they wish to avoid stiff penalties and prosecution. According to the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 risks relating to working around trucks must be controlled according to the hierarchy outlined by the Act :

• Eliminating vehicle or pedestrian movement where possible, or removing the need for reversing.
• Substituting unsafe vehicles, loading facilities, road signage or road surfaces with safer ones.
• Isolating vehicles from pedestrians or vice versa.
• Minimising by engineering controls (e.g. pedestrian barriers, handrails, separate access doors for pedestrians and vehicles, speed limiting vehicles).
• Applying administrative controls, such as:
• providing education, training, supervision and safe work procedures on vehicle
• movement at workplaces
• ensuring a robust documented induction process takes place within the workplace before workers commence work
• restricting pedestrian access in certain areas, or at certain times
• enforcing appropriate site speed limits
• preventing reversing in certain areas, or at certain times
• providing designated parking for work and private vehicles-monitoring risks to ensure they remain as low as possible.
• Using personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety boots, helmets and reflective high-visibility garments. PPE is the lowest level of control.
• Monitoring the effectiveness of safety changes and safe work procedures through regular inspections, checks and record keeping.

Source: https://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/guidelines-workingaroundtrucks.pdf