Protecting drivers with Tailift Stay Safe
A new tail lift restraint product, Tailift Stay Safe, has been launched, which is said to offer improved driver protection, and reduced costs and risk for hauliers.
The company highlights the risks involved in manoeuvring loads such as pallets, with numerous incidents reported each year of loads and drivers falling from tail lifts.
But the human cost can be greater still, the firm adds, with several instances each year of serious driver injuries and even fatalities.
“It’s all too easy for busy delivery drivers to lose spatial awareness while manoeuvring pallets and cages onto tail lifts,” said Tailift Stay Safe.
“Solid guard rails have been recommended for years, but they take time to deploy and reduce the working space on the tail lift.”
The Tailift Stay Safe product is said to be quick and simple to deploy, while costing no more (and frequently less) than existing, less effective solutions.
“Fixed retaining arms keep rear doors in position, offering full side protection from passing traffic and falls from the side of the tail-lift,” said the company.
“Then a retractable strap across the rear of the tail-lift protects against falls from the rear.”
The system is said to be easy and inexpensive to install and retrofit to existing trucks, trailers or vans, and quicker to use than conventional door retainers, with deployment in just 30 seconds.
Further highlighted benefits include up to 350mm more unrestricted platform space than other systems; the product is said to be damage-resistant, maintenance-free and permanently attached to vehicle body so there are no loose parts to lose or leave.
Tailift Stay Safe was developed by Niven Whiteoak and Carol Helm who between them have over 60 years’ experience in the transport sector.
Niven said: “We were approached by a customer to design and develop a system to prevent falls from a tail-lift platform. We have developed, trialled, tested and monitored Tailift Stay Safe for over two years on a large fleet of 12t, 18t, and 26t rigids in the pallet network sector. The result is a retaining system that delivers safety with confidence.”
Carol added: “In addition to the obvious benefits of driver safety, the system helps protect against the wider effects of driver injury or pallet accident. Missed deliveries, the cost of lost time incidents, increased insurance premiums, and the effect of reputational damage and poor staff morale are all things that can be minimised from a system that can be installed in 45 minutes and deployed in 30 seconds.”
Dean Woodyer, managing director of H&M Distribution, has been putting Tailift Stay Safe to the test on vehicles within his fleet.
“Our staff have embraced this system because it’s part of their welfare,” he said.
“We place great emphasis on the safety of the public, the goods in transit and, most importantly, the safety of our drivers. For us, comprehensive training, and using TLSS, means we can sleep easier at night.”
