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Backdoor accidents

Started by Chairswan, 18-05-06, 03:49AM

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Jambinator

That would make sense, it's usually fine, it's just people dropping stuff off into the recycling centre, but sometimes the wagon appears and if he's early has to wait usually

just curious

Quote from: HeadOfficeElf on 20-01-13, 01:03PM
Could the back door manager or team put polite notes on the cars that park where they shouldn't do?

Better still clamp them and charge a fee  ;D.
sorry i for got myself for a minute ,wheel clamps are classed as equipment and we all no that the company will not spend money on equipment , so never going to happen . 8-) 8-) :-X :-X.just have to put up with the obstruction.

Jambinator

Ah, fair point! The drivers are forever having to avoid cages and RSU in the yard too! Then there's when the compactor gets emptied, never heard such a racket!

HeadOfficeElf

Quote from: just curious on 20-01-13, 01:20PM
Quote from: HeadOfficeElf on 20-01-13, 01:03PM
Could the back door manager or team put polite notes on the cars that park where they shouldn't do?

Better still clamp them and charge a fee  ;D.
sorry i for got myself for a minute ,wheel clamps are classed as equipment and we all no that the company will not spend money on equipment , so never going to happen . 8-) 8-) :-X :-X.just have to put up with the obstruction.

Without forgetting Wheel clamps are also illegal. ;)

JimmySaville

Numerous times I have damaged by back/ wrists on the delivery. Our store is unique as in there is are zigzags outside the store meaning deliveries have to be pulled over some very dangerous and broken sidewalk around 70-80ft in distance, on top of that usually with overloaded 2 sides full of beeer/drinks that we DO NOT NEED! Im only a part timer nobody yet Its me that has to pull the delivery in with the TL? There are usually 2 other members of staff in the store at that time as well. Cash and Bakeoff, Just coz they are women they dont ever have to help? Surely this is sex descrimination as well as illegal for a lowly till monkey such as much self to be risking life and limb without any training what so ever?

What would happen if i were to refuse to help now and then? Sometimes I am in so much pain I cannot tie my shoe laces, other days i can benchpress a horse. I do have the steel capped shoes by the way. 

xR4

#505
I'd take a better route first as in ask for full training. Is the TL always with you? Are they trained on the backdoor? If so they will give you the whole 'supervised by TL'. If you're ever alone or the TL leaves you, flat out refuse. If one of those beer cages or any cage lands on you Tesco will wipe their hands of you and you won't get a penny. In my time I've had cages and pallets fall off the end of the trailer. Lukily I wasn't around to be hurt but another colleague was within millimetres of being crushed by a BWS cage which was the drivers fault because he aired the suspension right up cages were literally rolling off!

I done something wrong on backdoor before and my manager wasn't too happy. This was before I had done my new training so I used that to defend myself :). He went on to say about me not knowing how to do my job and that he will remove me from backdoor and put someone else on for the time being and that he was going to speak to SM and DSM. After loading up he just spoke to me. I think he looked at my training record and thought best not speak to SM haha.

just curious

Quote from: Jambinator on 20-01-13, 02:05PM
Ah, fair point! The drivers are forever having to avoid cages and RSU in the yard too! Then there's when the compactor gets emptied, never heard such a racket!
As a health issue sometimes ear muffs should  be provided for the back door team , not only the compactor being emptied is such a racket when it is done , but what about the tail plates on vehicles when they hit the ground several times day in and day out whilst unloading the vehicle and then the empty cages clattering as you are reloading the vehicle again plus the noise of vehicles reversing and the buzzing noise that they make , i would like to bet that many staff have hearing problems due to these issues ? .

tumshie

#507
Quote from: JS on 05-04-13, 12:38PM
deliveries have to be pulled over some very dangerous and broken sidewalk around 70-80ft in distance,

does the store have a risk assessment for pulling cages over that surface?
it can't be right to have to work with that, however much training you get.

get your health & safety rep on to it.

TV Messiah

I smashed my hand doing a tip on the backdoor on my own despite several appeals for help. was off work for weeks and they had the nerve to give me "next steps" at an AR when I got back !!!
Was took to hospital but not kept in but had doctors line for absences, Is there mitigating circumstances ??

hesketh

If you had an accident in the course of doing your duties then you should be claiming for compensation. Tesco have tried before to say that a person cannot claim because they were tipping a wagon alone but it was beaten in court, I believe.

You have said elsewhere that you are not in the union (I am not sure whether you can use them retrospectively) so I suggest you take some legal advice ASAP.
Don't take life too seriously, no one has ever gotten out alive!

BossingExpress

I am surprised nobody has been killed whilst unloading a lorry at an Express store yet to be honest. At my store we run one on one (yes one manager and one CA) in the morning, afternoon and late shifts, what happened to two people unloading a lorry? we cant exactly close the store!

These grocery cages are getting ridiculous and even the drivers are struggling to manoeuvre them onto the tail lift and when they do they look like they are about to go straight over the guards.

On my group a TL was unloading by herself and a cage of small pop tipped over and landed on her legs. If you refuse the delivery then you get an informal off the ops manager and many of the drivers are reluctant to help as they know how dangerous it is.

hesketh

Believe me, Bossingxpress, we drivers share your concern. However, drivers are forbidden to travel upon the tail-lift with cages and jumping down is simply dangerous, so any driver that attempts to help is putting their health and livelihood at risk.

Until a few years ago it was clearly stated on the risk assessment that two persons were required to unload a tail-lift delivery. These persons were to be trained and equipped with safety shoes and hi-viz. However, when they started to rip the budgets apart this soon became impossible in most stores (not just express). Some of us tried to stand up for you guys and refused to unload but they just removed the rule from the risk assessment and told us that we could advise the person unloading that they were not following procedures but that it was the store managers responsibility to make the judgement.

There have already been several serious injuries and the insurance company attempted to avoid paying compensation, on one occasion that I know of, because the girl was unloading on her own. Until the store managers are prepared to stand up to the bullying that they are subjected to this situation will not be resolved and someone will indeed be killed.
Don't take life too seriously, no one has ever gotten out alive!

BossingExpress

hesketh, you are absolutely spot on. It is good to know that drivers are concerned as well. Some of the tail lifts look like they are about to fall off, I have seen numerous trailers where the guards are kept down by cage straps to prevent them coming loose during driving! When do Tesco replace the trailers? 

hesketh

Tesco policy is to keep tractor units for 5 years and trailers for 8 although this can vary slightly for the more specialist vehicles such as the 8m and 10m trailers commonly used for Express stores as they are expensive and are currently used much less than the bigger kit.

Unfortunately there is little parity between depots with regard to maintenance. Those older depots that have Tesco staffed VMUs (Vehicle Maintenance Unit) repair the trailer properly or do not release it for use...end of! The newer depots tend have their maintenance contracted out and the contractor will tend to do only what is necessary to get it to an "acceptable/useable" standard. We regularly get trailers come in from these depots, in shocking condition, and they are immediately dispatched to our VMU where they end up busting our budget (funny how we seem to get so many of them turning up... ???).

I'm afraid the ball is firmly in your court regarding delivery safety. I understand the pressure that you feel under not to refuse the load but at some point you need to consider your responsibility to your staff over your career prospects. It is up to you, as a manger, to convince your Ops manager that the situation is simply not acceptable. How much would your promotion be worth if you heard that a member of your staff was seriously injured, or even killed, because you didn't challenge the issue effectively.

It may only be a matter of semantics and pedantry but state that you are not refusing the load, merely insisting that it is delivered correctly. You are perfectly prepared to unload properly stacked cages from a vehicle with correct safety equipment. Try asking for a SWL (Safe Weight Limit) for a cage and work out how many cases of carbs/water/BWS that amounts too :-X

Get together with the other managers in your group and stand together. Once you have sorted out deliveries you can start on all the other ways in which you are being abused.........
Don't take life too seriously, no one has ever gotten out alive!

tackleberry

@Bossingexpress, they replace the trailers when they get to 10 years old - allegedly!!!
They are replacing our 58/59 plate units with, not brand new ones, but with 62 plates....
Yet THEY can replace our rarely used Transit vans with brand new 63 plate Sprinters....

hesketh

If you have been told 10 years, Tackleberry, then they have changed it this year as all of our 8+ year old trailers (except for a couple of 10m's) were decommissioned after last Christmas. We only use fridge trailers so that could be it....

Mercedes stopped making new Axors last year and I think Tesco bought up a load of them. We replaced our 57s with 61s when we were expecting 62s. The 61s had virtually no mileage on them having been stored at Litchfield for months ???

The transit vans were probably on lease and it simply ran out so they were replaced with new ones.
Don't take life too seriously, no one has ever gotten out alive!

Nomad

I think we have drifted to far away from the topic "Backdoor accidents".
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

overworkedexpresslad

work in express and have been told that i am to bring in delivery on my own!!!!!!where is the heath and safety in express or do we not count in this format????

hesketh

Whilst there is no reason why you cannot move cages alone (on level ground at least), taking cages off of a tail-lift is definitely a two person job. The rules are very clear but I wish you the best of luck in getting them recognised, let alone applied.

Tesco's insurers have previously tried to refuse compensation to Express staff because they were taking a delivery on their own. In one case, that I know of, they were unsuccessful but it took a very determined fight all the way to court to get the right result. Remember it will not be a Tesco manager/director that you will end up fighting, it will be an insurance company's very highly paid barrister.

If you are "forced" to take cages off of the tail-lift yourself please do not attempt to stop or catch any "runaways". The stock is replaceable and insured where you are not replaceable and will need to fight for compensation......
Don't take life too seriously, no one has ever gotten out alive!

xR4

#519
Where there is not two trained staff to remove cages from a tail lift just refuse. I have in the past and will do again. One of the checks in the log book for back door is that you have TWO TRAINED staff ASSISTING (the driver) with tail lift deliveries.

Drivers are also accountable if there are not two trained staff unloading their lorry from tail lift. One driver showed me his paper work that says that have to refuse and call up DC if there is not enough staff to unload.

keithwill73

Any accidents with the slimlines yet?????

Kaialin

Newgen10 yes my colleague was trying to turn a new slimline round off a tail lift and because of the stupid new wheel material the cage completely toppled on her landing her in hospital...

Googler

I am personally very strict on this and have escalated this beyond immediate management in the past for my role as a shift leader in Express. The rules are set in stone for unloading wagons and a copy of the risk assessment is prominently displayed by the door to remind anyone who happens to forget - managers included. I personally will not unload a wagon without and extra member of staff.

Our Lichfield depot is a bugger for sending out poorly loaded cages and and some stuff has collapsed on staff members before so I will not unload without an extra pair of hands.

Baloo

I would like to know if tesco have to supply me with safety boots for working back donor n warehouse. I have asked for about 5 months now and I really need a new pair as I am having to wear someone else's boots which are really in a bad way.

wheelspin

Baloo where I work it is a requirement that you should be wearing them in the back warehouse.

It would be very odd  if  the risk assessment  in your place of work did not require safety boots for pulling cages at the back door.

Your employer is responsible and required to provide you with suitable PPE to do your job. 

You must go to the store manager and insist you get them, or at least   get a budget to go out and buy your own.   I got cash back for mine with a pay out from the CM.    They are not expensive.   There should be no fuss in getting them

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