The tragic death of a teenage removal worker has highlighted just how important it is to have experts with the right equipment move very heavy objects like large safes.
The 19-year-old was crushed by a safe he and colleagues were attempting to move. They were working together to maneuver the safe up a ramp into the removal van when the ramp slipped, allowing the safe to fall. The other workers were able to get out of the way, but the teenager was trapped beneath the falling safe, and although he was taken to hospital, he died there a short while later.
Some safes weigh more than 500kg, and are perfectly capable of causing severe crush injuries if they are not moved with care and the right equipment. They are best moved to their final location by specialists. Great care must be taken to get all the details right when planning the delivery of a safe even something as apparently inconsequential as two or three steps might change the way delivery is made. Other considerations are parking restrictions, restricted-weight bridges, gravel drives and limited turning circles too.
Taking pains to do a job correctly is the way to make sure it is done safely, with each one requiring its own risk assessment. After all, we all want everyone to go home as fit and as healthy as when they arrived at work.
