| 01 October 2009
Safe access and egress to the top decks of double deck trailers is becoming an issue as their popularity increases. City Link approached Ladderstore with their concerns and asked if they could help design a bespoke solution that would suit both double deck trailers and single deck trailers.
Ladderstore worked with City Link to design a bespoke mobile access step that could provide safe access to single and double deck articulated trailers and 7.5 tonne vehicle beds.
Safety when loading and unloading vehicles has been placed firmly in the HSE's sights this year and you can see why from the statistics. Falls from vehicles are the second most common vehicle-related accidents in the workplace accounting for 1600 injuries and 4 deaths last year.
So when you are the countries leading Premium Express Delivery Company employing nearly 6000 people, operating over 3000 vehicles from 85 depots across the UK and carrying as many as 350,000 parcels every night, it is absolutely paramount that personnel are working within a safe environment.
In 2008 City Link's Health and safety Department noticed a potential problem - unsafe access and egress to the top decks of curtain sided double deck trailers. If goods became loose or separated on the top deck, staff had no safe method of reaching the goods. It was evident that a permanent safety solution had to be found so they turned to the Health and Safety Executive. A search of its website found Ladderstore, a participant in the HSE Ladder Exchange scheme.
On contact with Ladderstore, it was clear that the company had the experience and knowledge in the creation of bespoke access systems.
Karen Farr (Head of Safety Health and Environment for City Link) explains what happened next;
These mobile double decker trailer access platforms have been developed to suit as many vehicle types as possible, they are therefore highly versatile and can be individually tailored to meet specific requirements.The process could not have been simpler. After discussion with Gill at Ladderstore she came back to us with a technical specification and a quote. We continued to refine the design with Gill's help and suggested improvements - for example, the inclusion of locking gates - until we had exactly what we needed. Five units were purchased for our initial evaluation. On the strength of that, we subsequently ordered a further 40. I was impressed by the company's evident knowledge and understanding of our needs and its ability to arrange delivery to the 45 depots.
The key features of the City Link steps comprise:
- Manufactured out of 25mm tubular steel with punched metal treads 550mm wide.
- First platform: Platform dimension 800mm x 550mm with a 600mm wide gate exit to the right for single deck access. Platform height is 1250mm from the ground.
- Second platform: Platform dimension 400mm x 550mm with a gate exit to the back. Platform height is 1250mm from the ground.
- The immobilising system comprises a braking retractor handle, that when operated, retracts the two front swivel castors, this allows the front steel feet to impact with the floor and to provide maximum stability. There is a fixed rear axle with 200mm diameter solid rubber tyre wheels.
- Tested to safe working load of 300kg.
The Health and Safety department have since developed safe system of work and the appropriate training for those personnel using the steps and accessing double deck trailers.
City Link's on-going move from box trailers to curtain sided trailers and the subsequent requirement to convert many of its depots, represents a major investment by the company.
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There is more information about vehicle access ladders, including the mobile double decker trailer access platforms in the Ladderstore.com vehicle access ladder section .... here/
Download a Pdf copy of the City Link Case Study by clicking here ..../
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