The world’s largest independent manufacturer of diesel engines has demonstrated its faith in Castell’s Salvo by installing the driveaway-safeguard system at a second UK site. Cummins Ltd has now adopted Salvo at its Darlington site, following a recommendation from the company’s Daventry facility.
“It’s failsafe,” says Gary Summerson, Warehouse & Receiving Manager at Darlington, of the interlocking safeguard. “The improved level of safety, both physically – by locking access to the trailer braking system and interlocking the operation of the ramp – and through greater awareness by truck drivers and warehouse staff, pushes us closer to eliminating unintentional driveaways from the loading docks.”
The recent HSE booklet ‘Warehousing and storage: A guide to health and safety’ recommends interlocks as a safe system of work to combat driveaways. Prior to the installation of Salvo, Cummins Ltd relied on retaining drivers’ keys and using safety barriers.
Having reversed their trailer up to the relevant bay, drivers collect a Salvo Susie lock from the storage cabinet inside the office. As the lock is fitted to the exposed emergency air line coupling – effectively immobilising the trailer – it releases a uniquely-coded key. Drivers insert the key into the control box next to the bay and turn it, changing the traffic lights from green to red and allowing the dock leveller to be positioned. The key remains trapped in the control box until the dock leveller is returned to its starting position.
When loading / unloading has finished, the dock leveller is returned, the key released and the Salvo Susie lock removed.
