Health and safety

Standard

Tipper trucks
Table of contents
1 Scope and application ........................................................................................... 1
2 Requirements and good practices ......................................................................... 2
2.1 Risk assessment .......................................................................................... 2
2.2 Safe vehicles ............................................................................................... 2
2.3 Safe environment ......................................................................................... 4
2.4 Safe operations ............................................................................................ 4
2.5 Safe people.................................................................................................. 6
2.6 Monitoring, audit and review ........................................................................ 6
Appendix 1 – vehicle types ........................................................................................... 8

1 Scope and application

This standard sets out the Tata Steel Europe requirements for the safe use of “tipper
trucks” (as defined), covers the loading and unloading operations on Tata Steel sites
and applies to:
• tipper trucks operated by Tata Steel;
• tipper trucks operated by contractors employed by Tata Steel;
• tipper trucks operated by suppliers of raw materials to Tata Steel;
• any other tipper truck operating on a Tata Steel site.
Tipper trucks are defined as rigid trucks or articulated tractor-trailer units where the
load carrying element can be raised for tipping. The definition includes rigid and
articulated tipper trucks, large dumper trucks, and vehicles with tanks that can be
elevated.
The following vehicles are out of scope for this standard:
• skip lorries;
• trucks with a roll-on, roll-off demountable load carrying hopper that does not tip;
• small rear wheel steer construction dumper trucks.
See Appendix 1 for photographed examples.

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Standards are part of the health and safety management system. If this standard
creates a higher obligation than that required by local law or regulation, it should be
followed as long as full compliance with the law or regulation is also achieved. In the
unlikely scenario that a local relevant law or regulation requires a higher standard to be
followed, that law or regulation should be followed and this should also be
communicated to Group Health and Safety.
Requirements and responsibilities for deployment as described in ‘Governance and
Accountabilities’ and/or the Health and Safety Management System Framework equally
apply.

2 Requirements and good practices

2.1 Risk assessment

2.1.1 Units and sites must deploy a process to assess the risks associated with all
tipper truck operations. Means by which the risks can be eliminated, controlled
and mitigated must be determined.
HSS-21 On site traffic calls for traffic flow mapping and transport risk
assessments to be carried out on all Tata Steel sites. Units and sites must give
due consideration to tipper truck routes and operation as part of these
assessments. Particular issues to consider are road width, cambers, height
limitations and corner radii. Although it is forbidden to drive a tipper truck on a
Tata Steel site with the body raised this hazard should be considered as part of
the traffic flow mapping and risk assessment.
2.1.2 Alternatives for the transport of the material must be considered in the risk
assessment and particular attention needs to be paid to the type of vehicle
used.

2.2 Safe vehicles

2.2.1 Suitable vehicles must be deployed that are fit for purpose given the products
handled, capacity, manoeuvrability and area where they will operate. The
material handled can have a major influence on the choice of vehicle and the
risk associated with movement on site and loading and unloading operations.
2.2.2 The controls that operate the tipping mechanism are a safety related control
system and must be designed and installed to a standard that reflects the
required reliability.
2.2.3 Tipper controls must be located in the vehicle’s cab and be hold to run that stop
the tipping mechanism if they are released.
2.2.4 Inclinometers must be fitted to articulated tipper trucks used for on-site
operations. Inclinometers measure and react to any lateral movement beyond
the vertical. The inclinometer measures the lateral deviation and stops and
reverses the tipping operation in the event that the deviation exceeds the trailer
manufacturer’s defined level.

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2.2.5 Where tailgates or rear doors are fitted and manually operated, they should be
operated from the side of the vehicle or from a suitable position of safety and
are to be opened before tipping operations commence.
2.2.6 Safe systems of work must be developed to ensure personnel are not at risk
from rear doors opening in an uncontrolled manner when door locking
mechanisms are released. Due consideration must be given to the risk of the
load exerting pressure on the doors and forcing them open at speed, and
mechanisms to release the doors must be operated from outside the swing
radius of the doors.
2.2.7 Exclusion zones should be considered around the rear doors depending on the
type of load.
2.2.8 All vehicles must be fitted with seat belts.
2.2.9 Warning lights and audible alarms to indicate that the load-bearing hopper is
raised must be fitted to and operational on all tipper trucks and large dumper
trucks. The alarms, which must be fitted within the vehicle cab, must alert the
driver and they must operate continuously when the vehicle body is raised,
regardless of the configuration of the tipper controls.
2.2.10 Adequate inspection and maintenance arrangements need to be set in place.
As a minimum they must include:
• Pre-use inspections to a defined standard. The defined standards must make
it clear what level of defect would make the vehicle unfit for use. Such
inspections must be recorded and systems must be in place for monitoring
their completion and action to remedy defects.
• Periodic maintenance of the vehicle and its load carrying parts.

Good practices
Good practice is to use large dumper trucks in off road areas or, for large dumper
trucks, to confine them to dedicated roads to avoid conflict with other road users.
Designs of truck are available that incorporate conveyor discharge or walking
floors that may be appropriate in some circumstances.
Good practice is to locate tipper controls in the centre of the cab to ensure that the
operator is in the vehicle. An alternative good practice is the use of two-hand
control for the operation of the tipping mechanism.
Inclinometers are regarded as good practice for all other vehicles covered by this
standard.
Some operators of tipping vehicles have installed tailgate-opening mechanisms
that can be operated from the cab. This is regarded as good practice.
Interlock the tipping body with the transmission to ensure that with the body raised,
it can only engage and use first gear, or movement id restricted to a crawl.

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Use cameras to monitor load movement. This enables the vehicle operator to
monitor the discharge of the load.

2.3 Safe environment

2.3.1 Loading and unloading areas must be firm and level and well drained with
adequate lighting. These areas must be the subject of regular inspection and
maintenance.
2.3.2 Appropriate signage must be provided to inform drivers and load / unload
personnel of the rules and restrictions that apply.
2.3.3 Wind socks or anemometers must be provided and used for the assessment of
wind direction and strength. The tipping rules must specify under what
conditions tipping should stop.
2.3.4 Where the vehicle tips at an edge suitable arrangements, such as a stop block,
must be installed to prevent the vehicle moving over that edge.
2.3.5 Vehicles should not, without a banksman, tip so close to an overhead structure
that the driver cannot see the structure when sitting in the cab.
2.3.6 Drivers have full autonomy to decide not to tip their vehicle if they feel it is
unsafe to do so. Drivers must report any safety issues to Tata Steel
management or site security.

Good practices
Loading can be from hoppers or from mechanical shovels or other devices such
as magnet cranes in the case of scrap. Good practice is the use of closed circuit
television (CCTV) to ensure an even distribution of the load in the vehicle.
Good practice is for the loading or unloading area to be concreted or otherwise
covered with a sustainable hard, flat and level material.
On some sites, tipping frames have been installed either side of the tipping
point to retain the vehicle in the event that it tips to the side.

2.4 Safe operations

2.4.1 Accountabilities and responsibilities must be clearly identified, understood and
communicated to:
• drivers;
• contractor management;
• Tata Steel contract owners;
• Tata Steel site managers;
• suppliers;
• suppliers’ contractors.

Delivery plans should be provided to all suppliers delivering to Tata Steel sites –
see HSC-23-2 Collection and delivery plans.

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2.4.2 Safe working procedures (see HSC-10.2) are required for loading and tipping
operations.
2.4.3 The safe working procedures should be summarised as loading and tipping
rules. Loading and tipping rules should be drawn up as a standard set of
requirements / instructions plus local amendments. These must be clearly
communicated and understood by all involved. Key elements are:
• operating procedures and control measures;
• communications;
• defect monitoring and reporting;
• hazard/near miss reporting;

and include as a minimum:

• duty not to overload;
• safe driver positioning during each phase of the operation;
• space between or exclusion of other vehicles;
• driver in cab, seatbelt on, with the cab doors closed during tipping;
• exclusion of other personnel from the area around a vehicle with its body
raised.
2.4.4 In addition to the tipping and loading operations, procedures to cover the
following activities are required where appropriate:
• identification, notification and cleaning of spillages;
• reporting of defects in plant, equipment and procedures;
• procedures to ensure a truck is not overloaded and to manage any trucks
inadvertently overloaded;
• cleaning and inspection of trucks;
• sheeting of trucks.
2.4.5 The expectations of those persons not in the employ of Tata Steel established
by the implementation of this standard and the loading and unloading rules and
procedures must be specified in agreements and contracts with those parties.

Good Practices
Good practice includes clear signage showing the rules at points of access to
loading and unloading sites and in the cabs of tipper trucks used on site.
Further good practice has been identified which includes the following:
• use of weighbridges or loading shovels with weighing facilities to avoid
overloading;
• the use of CCTV to monitor the loading and unloading areas;
• the issue of instruction cards or tipping / loading rules to drivers.

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2.5 Safe people

2.5.1 Tipper trucks must only be operated by persons who have been selected to
ensure they have a suitable capability and demonstrated competence in their
operation.
2.5.2 All persons who operate tipper trucks on Tata Steel sites must receive an
induction/orientation that clearly sets out the expectations and rules in respect
of their operation. As a minimum the induction must include:
• site transport system including traffic map,
• loading rules,
• tipping rules,
• means by which they can communicate effects or concerns.
2.5.3 Drivers of tipper trucks must hold an appropriate licence to drive, load and tip
the vehicle, be trained in the safe operation of the vehicle and have had their
competence assessed. Training must be recorded and refreshed no less
frequent than every 3 years.
2.5.4 Critical to the safe loading and tipping of the vehicles to which the standard
applies is the behaviour of the drivers of such vehicles. Those involved in such
operations and the use of such vehicles must be included in the business or site
approach to behavioural safety.

Good Practices
It is good practice to test the understanding of the induction/orientation by the
recipients.
Specific training and retraining arrangements for tipper truck operation may be
directly agreed with the vehicle operators and should link to national driver
training policies such as the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in
the UK and Code 95 in NL.
Adopting the MPQC (Mineral Products Qualifications Council) driver skills card
for tipper drivers on Tata Steel sites.

2.6 Monitoring, audit and review

2.6.1 Supervision arrangements must be positively set out in procedures for the tipper
truck operations on site. The expectations of supervisors must be clearly
communicated to them and arrangements set out so that they can comply with
those expectations. Those expectation must include a requirement to monitor
the implementation of rules and procedures and commend compliance and
challenge any deviations.
2.6.2 The unit or site should set up monitoring arrangements to ensure that the
loading and unloading operations are monitored to check that the rules and
procedures laid out are complied with.

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2.6.3 An audit, by the unit or site, of the implementation of this standard must be
conducted annually.
2.6.4 Where contractors are deployed regular reviews should take place between
relevant Tata Steel contract owner and contract management (see HSC-09.1).

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Appendix 1 – vehicle types

Photographed examples of vehicles covered by this standard:

Rigid body tipper lorry Articulated tipper trailer and tractor unit

Tipper tanker unit Large dump truck

Vehicle types not covered by this standard:

Skip lorries Trucks with roll-on roll-off demountable load hopper

that do not tip

Small rear-steer construction dumper trucks

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