Container Handling Equipment Manufacturers Association

CHEM Standard for skip loaders

CHEM has completed the drafting of a new standard, TS16, for skip loaders. This is the first industry standard for skip loaders to be made available in the UK. For a brief summary of the contents go to "Literature" and click on "Standards"

June 2010

"Double decker" skips

Carrying loaded skips one on top of another.

The Container Handling Equipment Manufacturers Association (CHEM) is a trade association whose members manufacture and supply skip and hook loaders, refuse collection vehicles and static compactors.

It has come to our notice over recent weeks that skip vehicles have been stopped by the police for carrying a full skip on top of another full skip on the grounds that it constitutes a dangerous load. We have been asked to comment on this practice and to give an opinion on whether this is a safe thing to do.

Until the late 1990s almost all skip loaders had a shaft connecting the upper ends of the lift arms which effectively limited the height of the skip and load which could be carried. This has changed over recent years so that so that today almost all skip loaders are supplied without a top shaft and this allows higher skips to be carried.

All manufacturers issue an operators handbook with each skip loader and, in addition to the operating instructions, it may contain information including safety dos and don`ts related to the loading, tipping and offloading of skips.

As far as load safety is concerned CHEM members have, in the past, taken the view that it is the  responsibility of the driver to ensure his load is safe to take on the public highway i.e. that it is sheeted and suitably restrained.

CHEM members who supply skip loaders have debated this question over recent days and have concluded that they do not recommend  carrying a loaded or partly loaded skip on top of another loaded or partly loaded skip.  The reasons for this are:-

1. The top skip is unstable and at risk of falling off the bottom skip during sudden braking. In such an event the skip loader cab guard is unlikely to prevent the top skip from rolling or sliding forwards over the cab.

2. The top skip could possibly be at risk of falling from the side of vehicle during a sudden combined steering and braking action.

3. Sheeting the top skip and securing the ropes to the skip loader does not, in our opinion, provide a satisfactory method of securing the load.

4. We do not consider ratchet load restraints to be a solution because the load in the bottom skip could compress under the motion of the vehicle combined with the weight of the top skip allowing the restraints to loosen or become detached from their anchor points.

The Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) have published a revised edition of the "Safe operator`s guide" which contains helpful guidance on vehicle loading and load safety. This guide is free to download at http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/The%20Safe%20Operators%20Guide.pdf

Protruding baseplates on skips

Skip safety - protruding base plates

The Container Handling Equipment Manufacturers Association issues the following information and advice in the interests of the health and safety of persons employed in the waste industry.

CHEM members are concerned about the possibility of the loader tip hooks catching the base plate of the skip when it is being tipped.  The result of this is that the skip would tip part of the way and then escape from the tipping hooks allowing the skip to swing out to the rear and destabilise the whole vehicle.

This situation can be avoided by following the manufacturing notes contained in CHEM standard TS14. Clause 4.6.3 of the standard states, "There must be no projection of the base plate in the area of the tipping hook engagement with the tipping bar thus preventing inadvertent hooking on the skip."

CHEM advises skip manufacturers and skip repairers to ensure that any projection of the base plate in the area of the tip hooks is removed. Skip operators are advised to inspect their skips and remove any projection of the base plate which could cause inadvertent hooking on the base plate.

Copies of CHEM Standard TS14 are available from the Technical Secretary and full details are given on the Contact page of this website.