What is the ‘Safe Retailers’ sub-group about?
A key objective of the Health & Safety Working Group with the “Safe Retailers” initiative is to address safety issues encountered by drivers when delivering (or collecting) loads at dealerships and other remote delivery locations. This objective was established due to an increase in severe incidents and ‘near misses’ reported during these operations, which are often ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for the clients, and it was decided that, in cases where the management of a carrier are unable to resolve dangerous situations, that ECG would step in to support where we feel it is justified to do so. Naturally we expect a carrier to be able to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to find an acceptable solution with the parties concerned before asking for support, and to supply evidence of this as well as photographic evidence where appropriate.
As you will see from the Evaluation Form this covers more than just direct safety issues because we are concerned with the treatment of drivers generally.
Retailer Escalation Process Retailer Evaluation Form
If you wish to request the support of ECG in order to help resolve an unsafe situation you should use this online form where you can also upload your supporting documents and pictures.
As part of this project we have had a legal expert in transport law draft some proposed clauses that ECG strongly recommends should be included in all vehicle transport contracts.If you are a carrier we recommend to discuss with your clients to include these clauses to support this initiative. These clauses have also been reviewed by the members of ECG’s Legal Network.
On 25 February ECG organised a webinar to launch Retailer Escalation process. On the page you can find recording from the webinar. Click on the button below to access the recording.
Key issues identified when unloading at the retailer:
- Unsafe environment: Many delivery operations are occurring on public streets or in other areas with active traffic, exposing truck drivers to potential incidents. A lack of designated loading/unloading areas forces truck operators to perform tasks in unsafe conditions, such as streets without proper barriers or warning signs.
- Incident trends: Data from Health & Safety incident reporting systems has highlighted an uptick in both severe accidents and near misses. These range from minor damages to major injuries or even potential fatalities. Examples include collisions when truck drivers have been struck by passing vehicles.
- Operational challenges: Dealerships, especially those in urban areas, often face constraints in terms of space, with little room to accommodate safe unloading zones. Co-ordination between carriers and dealers sometimes lacks structure, leading to miscommunication or rushed unloading processes that compromise safety. In many cases dealership staff simply refuse to assist in helping to minimise potentially dangerous situations.