Reduce your HGV insurance by preventing falls from vehicles
CLA (Risk Solutions) Ltd
Every year, more than 2,000 serious injuries are caused by falls from vehicles that are reported to HSE (Health and Safety Executive).
Insurance claims for one injury can often be over £100,000.
Falls from height are one of the most common causes of death from industrial accidents with 35 of 144 work-related fatalities in 2017/2018.
With 3 million people in Great Britain working on or near vehicles as part of their regular job, falls from cabs or trailers pose a serious risk to your business.
Considering these statistics, taking measures to prevent this type of accident can save your haulage business from losses and reduce your haulage insurance premium.
Risk assessments for hauliers Carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the daily tasks of your drivers and getting them involved in discussing ways of making their job safer and more efficient will help to reduce the risk of falls and slips.
An effective risk management plan will include:
• A list of all the risks associated with your drivers’ work
• Analysis of the risk
• Rank the possibility of an event happening and what the effect would be
• Measures you would take to minimise the risk
• Ongoing protection measures that can be taken
Typical examples of controls to minimise risk would include providing suitable workwear and equipment to prevent falls, for example; ladders for climbing from trailers instead of jumping off or using the trailer side guards, driver training to cover specific tasks carried out by your drivers for the vehicles they will be operating.
Insurers will often require copies of training records in the event of a claim and as part of the HSE Work at Height Regulations 2005, you must ensure:
• all work at height is properly planned and organised
• those involved in work at height are competent
• the risks from work at height are assessed, and appropriate work equipment is selected and used
• the risks of working on or near fragile surfaces are properly managed
• the equipment used for work at height is properly inspected and maintained
Haulage insurance
Insurance for your fleet of HGVs requires expert advice to ensure your policy provides adequate protection at the lowest cost per vehicle.
This is where an insurance broker provides added value by understanding the market and being able to select a provider to suit your individual requirements.
A broker can also identify ways you can minimise risk and reduce premium costs by using telematics and improving driver safety.
In some cases, you may be able to obtain a discount on your premium or even get a contribution towards the costs of implementing these risk reducing measures.
Contact CLA (Risk Solutions) Sutton Coldfield to discuss your fleet haulage insurance requirements on 0121 321 4600.