Worksafe Victoria has released an alert highlighting the danger of being crushed underneath a raised tipping tray while inspecting components or doing maintenance work.
The alert comes after a number of people were killed or seriously injured in Australia while inspecting components or undertaking maintenance work underneath raised tipping and tilting trays on trucks and trailers.
Investigations of these types of incidents have revealed a number of causes and an effective preventative measure to reduce the risk of fatalities and injuries from raised trays, Worksafe says.
Catastrophic failures, slow leaks of the tray lifting mechanism or its inadvertent activation can all cause the tray to fall, therefore additional mechanical support for the tray must be provided, the organisation says.
The document includes a range of control measures including: never attempt to work or carry out inspections between a raised tray and the truck’s chassis rails without the tray being mechanically supported in addition to the trays normal lifting mechanism; use vehicle-mounted props or purpose-designed temporary propping stands that are secured to prevent movement or dislodgement; and never use soft wood timber for propping.