After a fatal incident involving a transport trailer ramp, new guidance has been released which WorkSafe says is “plugging a critical gap” for businesses which shift heavy machinery
Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash
WorkSafe’s investigation into the 2019 death found that Sean Smyth was killed when a trailer ramp fell on him at work in Te Kuiti, resulting in an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) where Smyth’s employer Inframax Construction committed funds to a range of mandatory health and safety improvements. One of these was sponsoring Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ) to develop new guidance for the safe use and maintenance of low loader ramps.
The guide helps owners, operators, maintainers, and designers of these trailers manage ramp operation and maintenance risks.
“We know industry is extremely keen for fresh guidance, and EUs can be a powerful way to deliver industry-led responses to identified risk gaps. Delivering guidance through an EU model has been a productive way to achieve our shared safety goals,” says WorkSafe’s Mark Horgan.
The guide had input from a range of industry bodies including Civil Contractors NZ, Transporting NZ, the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association, and the Truck & Trailer Manufacturers Federation.
“This guidance represents a vital step forward in making the transport and delivery of heavy machinery safer across New Zealand’s construction and infrastructure sectors. Low-loader ramps are deceptively routine but present some of the highest-energy risks on site,” says CHASNZ spokesperson, Jon Harper-Slade.
“By bringing together technical insights from manufacturers, operators, and industry experts, and applying an evidence-based approach to high-energy hazard control, we’ve produced guidance that is practical, targeted, and grounded in what actually works on the ground. This resource will continue to benefit the sector for years to come.”
