HS2 construction workers at EKFB are being given 4×4 and 3.5-tonne tipper driver safety training, helping to ensure their health & safety as well as that of the local community.
EKFB, a joint venture between Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial and BAM, has been appointed by HS2 to deliver an 80km section of the route and has recruited hundreds of staff, many of whom are driving for work.
With work vehicles classed as part of construction staff’s work equipment and falling under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), EKFB signed up TTC Group to provide drivers with Lantra-accredited 4×4 driver training and bespoke 3.5-tonne tipper training, helping to ensure the safety of over 200 4×4 drivers and 20 3.5-tonne tipper drivers.
Matt Eastwood, fleet manager at EKFB, said: “I have been involved in fleet management for a number of years now and I am passionate and a keen advocate of practical driver training and above all, the training needs to be high quality and effective. What I mean by effective, is that ‘off-the-shelf’ training doesn’t always achieve what we need so more bespoke training is required.”
The training helps ensure drivers know how to use the equipment safely and efficiently.
Andy Wheeler, TTC head of technical delivery, said TTC’s combined full day of theory and safe off-road driving practices for 4x4s has gone down exceptionally well with drivers, while workers have also undergone a half day on-road training session looking at the different handling characteristics and safety implications out on the highway.
In addition to the 4×4 training, EKFB wanted a bespoke course created for its 3.5-tonne tipper drivers, covering driving on public roads and through the site. The resultant two-day course involved theory and practical hands-on training, covering subjects such as weight and vehicle dimensions, securing loads efficiently, how to tip safely, how to be Covid-secure and to experience driving a fully laden vehicle. The course concluded with a competency assessment, which each driver had to pass to complete the course.
Wheeler concluded: “The driver feedback has been really positive with drivers rating the course on average as 9.8 out of 10, a 100% satisfaction with the trainers and not surprisingly, the issue of loading and overloading was the most informative element of the programme, at 92% of the drivers commenting on this aspect.”
