News

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has withdrawn its advice on transporting paper amid fears that it could have been causing accidents rather than preventing them. The guidance, known as INDG 396, has been withdrawn "following a number of serious incidents" involving curtainsiders. It is understood that the accidents happened when large rolls of paper fell on depot workers as they pulled back the curtain.

Andrew Braund, head of health and safety at the Confederation of Paper Industries,  says the problems arose because the HSE advice suggested the curtain could be used as a restraint for the paper.

He adds: "There is a lot of good material in the guidance as a whole and we actually asked them not to withdraw it completely, but there is a danger with the suggestion that the curtain is used to fasten down the paper that when it is opened something will fall off." Operators are being directed towards guidance from the Department for Transport, which specifies that loads should be fastened down within the curtain. The HSE has commissioned research into the effectiveness of different methods of securing loads on curtainsiders.

Robert Wilcox is MD of haulier Massey Wilcox, which specialises in transporting paper. He says that although fastening is important, many drivers neglect it: "If you looked in the back of 100 different [curtainsiders] I think you would find that 90% of the loads were not fastened with anything. It's a psychological thing. Once you pull the  curtain you think everything is safe. Of course it's not, which is why we constantly remind our drivers to use internal straps."

The HSE denies its advice was dangerous but says the wording was ambiguous.