Edition 4 of the MPA Driver’s Handbook, published in November 2023, provides a comprehensive summary of all aspects good practice and is part of MPA’s drive towards Vision Zero.

Designed for easy reference, the handbook has been jointly developed by the members of the Mineral Products Association (MPA) Transport Committee and Health and Safety Committee, as a tool for working drivers to help them understand and manage the risks that they face and create when driving and operating vehicles for work.

This new guidance document is the primary output from an MPA Asphalt Contract Surfacing Working Group in relation to Mechanical Road Sweeper and Spray Tanker operations, in particular within the highways construction and maintenance environment.

The document has been developed to give Members, their clients and specifiers, and other stakeholders a focused approach to considering the requirements of operating in this sector, through the adoption of its recommendations.

This guidance has been produced by a working group of QNJAC which comprises of industry experts from varied backgrounds, the Trades Unions and HSE. 

The purpose of this document is to provide a structured framework to enable organisations to carry out self-audits of transport and pedestrian controls to prove their effectiveness as well as identifying weaknesses in the controls that could lead to serious injury or loss of life. 

Approximately 20% of all fatalities in the mineral extraction industry involve vehicles or other mobile equipment.

New Deployable MPA Resources to Support Your Initiatives

Workplace Transport and Pedestrian Interface has been identified by MPA's Health & Safety Committee as one of 'The Fatal 6' high consequence hazards that have been the main cause of fatalities and serious injuries and incidents over the last decade.

A range of resources have been launched  including an Employee's booklet, a Manager's handbook together with several supporting posters and stickers. These are all downloadable from the Fatal 2 section of Safequarry

A 147 page, A5 handbook, designed to assist supervisors and managers on site and support other industry technical guidance. Follows the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle.

The narrative and practical examples have been taken from materials that were received from MPA members, both large and small, after a request to share best practice on this subject.

QNJAC has produced a toolbox talk highlighting the statutory duties and identifying the responsibilities of both the organisations and the individuals who are associated with a safe delivery being made by a tipper.

In particular, it looks at those responsible for maintaining the safety of persons involved in, or adjacent to, tipper loading and discharging activities. This includes the following;

• Hauliers
• Tipper Drivers
• Site operators
• Shovel loaders
• Weighbridge staff

A recent incident alert, that involved the rollover of a readymix truck, highlighted a number of common causes / driver errors associated with rollovers. One of them was

•  Not carrying out a MYSAFE assessment, taking the time to scan the jobsite prior to positioning for discharge.

Following publication of the incident alert, more information has been requested about the MYSPACE system developed by CEMEX , it is a checklist for drivers prior to delivery.

A PowerPoint about MYSPACE and the checklist form have now been added to the toolbox talks on Safequarry.

The system is also referenced on page 26 of the MPA's Drivers Handbook. See below

MPA has partnered with National Highways' 'Driving for Better Business', reinforcing the industry's ongoing commitments to road safety, and taking the next step towards eliminating road-related risk.

Driving for Better Business (DfBB) is a free to access Government-backed National Highways programme, delivered in partnership with leading forum RoadSafe, that aims to improve road safety by promoting good management practices and demonstrating the benefits for organisations, their employees, contractors and other road users.

Image of  the type of resources produced by Diving for Business

A recent review of the guidelines on Safequarry that relate to the safe delivery and storage of bitumen highlighted that guidelines on safety showers were not included. Guidelines, which were produced by Eurobitume in 2016, have now been added.

They provide uniform minimum considerations for the performance, use, installation and maintenance of emergency safety shower equipment at facilities where bitumen products are handled in bulk and at elevated temperature. It is not an exhaustive list of considerations and, as such, anyone considering installing safety shower equipment should consult with a competent engineer or safety professional.

A specific risk and exposure analysis must be completed by the responsible party before any operation, new installation and reviewed if any modification is undertaken. 

Delivery drivers should be instructed not to make a delivery if the shower is found to be inoperable. Please note that during periods of cold weather it is especially important to check the emergency shower to ensure that trace heating or other measures designed to prevent freezing are operating correctly.

The fourth edition of the Code of Practice for the Safe Installation of Precast Concrete Flooring and Associated Components launched by the Precast Flooring Federation on 30th November 2017

HSE records show that vehicle-pedestrian collisions continue to be one of the main cause of workplace fatalities:

• There have been nine fatal vehicle-pedestrian collisions in the past four years involving wheeled loading shovels – most of these were in the waste and recycling sector. 
• There have been two vehicle-pedestrian fatalities within the minerals sector since 2015
• Main risk factors include lack of segregation, poor forward visibility and reversing manoeuvres

Operators who use mobile plant need to fully assess and actively manage the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions. Segregating the operating areas and traffic routes for mobile plant and pedestrians is the most effective control measure, eliminating the risk of collisions. For activities where mobile plant and pedestrians cannot be fully segregated, you will need to identify and implement other control measures.

MPA has produced some resources on Workplace Transport and Pedestrian Interface which are free to access via the Safequarry website Workplace transport and pedestrian interface (safequarry.com)

HSE issued an alert last year Wheeled loading shovels in waste and recycling - HSE relating to the operation of wheeled loading shovels and the increased risks due to use of larger buckets which reduce visibility. The alert provides a helpful reminder of the risks to consider under headings, Safe Site, Safe Vehicle and Safe Driver

The rollover of a tipper in the Midlands this week reinforces the importance of ensuring that drivers and operators understand how to prevent these incidents. CEMEX has produced a video on rollover prevention, this topic is also covered in MPA's Driver's Handbook.

View CEMEX Video

MPA has created a toolbox talk on using the handbrake – it includes two graphic videos of what can happen if you forget.

Please click here to view.

This guide highlights the steps one needs to take to separate pedestrians form mobile plant and other traffic.

HSENI has produced a booklet that identifies ways to minimise the risks associated with the operation of vehicles in quarries. Activities such as loading, travelling on haul roads, reversing operations, tipping operations, vehicle / pedestrian interface and sharing roadways with outside contractor’s vehicles are potentially hazardous if not managed to mitigate risk. The booklet reviews issues such as brake testing, all-round visibility, the provision of adequate edge protection, the maintenance of the surface of the haul roads and the gradient of the haul roads. Please read and share with others.

Lafarge Tarmac has issued a booklet to assist all parts of the business in understanding, reviewing and addressing the use of tipping vehicles – and ensuring that every part of the process is carried out safely. Click on the heading to view a pdf of the booklet