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In Tower Hamlets alone, there have been two fatal accidents arising from
driver error since the commencement of the Act, andnodoubt, the figure for the
country as a whole is proportionate. Whilst a situation exists where fork lift
trucks can be driven by untrained personnel serious accidents will continue to
occur.
There seems to be a need for legislation to ensure that trucks can only be
operated by licensed or registered drivers who have attained a satisfactory
standard of competency at courses organised by manufacturers of the Department
of Employment at regional schools situated within easy reach of each of the
country's larger industrial areas.
Openings in walls and Floors used for Loading and Unloading Materials
In relatively few instances has it been found necessary to require
additional safeguards in the case of wall openings, but the absence of adequate
fencing of floor openings has required a great deal of attention in all types
of registered premises.
Public houses, however, present particular difficulties in this respect.
Many beer crate hoists rise from cellars to hinged flaps in the floor of
serveries above.The most convenient method of fencing the opening that is created
when flaps are raised is by the flaps themselves on two sides, and by stay bars
which keep the flaps in a vertical and rigid position on the other two.
Alternatively, "flap raisers" fixed to hoist platforms are sometimes
used instead. These considerably reduce the hazard, but do not protect the
opening at all times when the hoist is in use.
Floor space in serveries is often very limited, and an opening fenced in
the manner described, can partially or completely restrict the free passage of
bar staff from one end of the servery to another. A practical solution to the
problem is not always easy to achieve, and in these circumstances, licensees are
advised to bring up to ground floor level all the bottled beers they require before
the public house opens for business.
The change that has taken place in recent years in the retai1ing ofdraught
beers has helped in this respect, Beer in "keg" containers does not require the
special storage conditions as that contained in the traditional casks, and
a growing tendency has been observed for ground floor rooms and outbuildings to
replace cellars for the storage of both draught and bottled beers.
Every opportunity is taken to encourage brewers- architects to alter the
servery layout or re-site hoists in a more suitable position when bar improvements
are under consideration; it is hoped that these efforts will be reinforced
when the outcome of the discussions held by the Engineering Department of the
Factory Inspectorate with the Brewers' Society on the subject of lifts and hoists
in public houses, to which I referred in my Report for 1970, is known.
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