WORKSAFE Victoria has released a safety bulletin warning of the dangers of unloading tautliner vehicles in high-wind conditions.
Tautliner vehicles are commonly known as curtain-sided vehicles, having the sides of the storage compartment secured by heavy “curtains”.
The bulletin cited a case where a truck driver was knocked unconscious; suffering a broken nose and fractured eye socket after a gust of wind pushed the curtain forward while he was pulling back the side curtains.
The wind caused the vertical pole in the curtain to strike the driver in the face. He was found unconscious and was taken to hospital.
The problem arose because the driver was unloading the tautliner vehicle by himself in windy conditions. There was also no documented procedure for loading and unloading the vehicles.
The bulletin recommended a number of possible solutions to prevent such incidents. A risk assessment should be conducted to identify if loading and unloading areas are susceptible to high-wind conditions. If high wind is present, consider reconfiguring the worksite or relocating the task.
Signs should also be put up to alert drivers of the potential hazard, and another staff member should be available to help supervise the unloading and loading effort.
Personal protective equipment such as hard hats and eye protection should also be used to minimise the risk.

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