Safe loading practices 101

At Edcon Steel, the safety of our customers, staff and the wider community is our number one priority.

Teaching our community about safe loading practices is one way we can do our bit to reduce the risk of injury associated with loading cars, utes and trucks with our products.

That’s why we’ve put together this helpful guide, to help you transport your Edcon products safely.

Safe loading area

While the team at Edcon Steel endeavours to make our steel stores as safe as possible, we are not responsible for our customers’ vehicles and loading practices. In order to protect yourself, and other people, it is essential that you maintain a safe loading area.

All Edcon Steel customers must ensure that the vehicle they are loading is at a complete stop, the handbrake is engaged and all items in the vehicle are stabilised before loading.

It is also essential that the surrounding area is safe for loading. Before loading, make sure you park in a marked and designated parking space or loading area and have checked the surrounding area for potential hazards. And remember, Edcon Steel car parks can be busy, so make sure you are paying attention to other cars, utes and trucks in the surrounding area!

Safe lifting

The act of simply lifting products into a vehicle is one of the most common causes of workplace injury in our industry, particularly when products are particularly large, heavy or sharp. From sprains and strains to bruises and cuts, failure to use safe lifting practices can cause injury.

Safe lifting checklist:

• Check your surroundings before lifting or moving objects.
• Decide where you will place the items, before lifting them.
• Ensure you have a wide base of support before lifting.
• When lifting: maintain a neutral back; engage core muscles; bend your hips and knees.
• Avoid lifting overhead.
• Change direction with your whole body rather than twisting.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Know your carrying capacity! Different vehicles and racks have different weight capacities; it is each customer’s responsibility to ensure loads are within weight limits.
• Use suitable restraints, such as load chokers or ratchet tie-downs, to prevent items from coming loose or sliding.
• Do not place heavy items on top of lighter items.
• Stacks of smaller cartons or other high and narrow items will need more than one restraint.
• Fill any gaps with other items to prevent load sliding or loosening.
• For ‘floppy’ loads, where the products are not strong enough to support their own weight, you must cover and/or support them, to keep them straight and secure.