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Bag weights

All Health & Safety issues in here.
poultongiest
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Joined: 15 Nov 2010, 11:40
Gender: Male

Bag weights

Post by poultongiest »

What are the official bag weight guide lines ? our office union rep is telling us it is 16 kg max 1st bag followed by the rest at 11kg , i was under impression it was 16kg, 16kg, 12kg , 10kg, 8 kg.
fishtank
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Re: Bag weights

Post by fishtank »

poultongiest wrote:What are the official bag weight guide lines ? our office union rep is telling us it is 16 kg max 1st bag followed by the rest at 11kg , i was under impression it was 16kg, 16kg, 12kg , 10kg, 8 kg.
A position was reached where it is agreed by CWU, RML and HSE that a sensible and pragmatic way to improve the control of excess weight on delivery and to contribute towards overcoming the problem of excess weight being carried over the shoulder, causing unacceptable levels of Manual Handling MSD injury and ill health risks would be to alter the pouch weight matrix and to ensure compliance. The new standard would be based on a new arrangement that the maximum weight of the first pouch will remain at 16 Kg but the maximum pouch weight of the second and all subsequent pouches will be 11 Kg. This would form part of the strategy of removing the weight from the delivery person where ever possible via the introduction of a range of delivery aids and equipment to take the load within the 'New Delivery Methods' programme.
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clashcityrocker
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Re: Bag weights

Post by clashcityrocker »

poultongiest wrote:What are the official bag weight guide lines ? our office union rep is telling us it is 16 kg max 1st bag followed by the rest at 11kg , i was under impression it was 16kg, 16kg, 12kg , 10kg, 8 kg.
Your rep is right.
Your rep is always right.
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brothermagrew
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Re: Bag weights

Post by brothermagrew »

The office union rep is right but as bag weights comes under the auspice of health and safety you should have sought clarification of the national position from your workplace health and safety rep and where one is not in situ sought guidance from your CWU Area health and safety rep, but it should be noted with the following proviso especially with regards to terrain issues.

For the purposes of accommodating terrain issues, it may be appropriate that rather than use a 16kg pouch on the first leg of the walk, an 11kg pouch is used and a 16kg pouch used second or third pouch in the walk over more suitable terrain. However, only one 16kg pouch will be used on any given walk. (guidance is provided).
"Today’s workplace has become heartless and soulless. Employees are seen as units of labour, automatons, functionaries, objects for achieving designated tasks, and as costs to be minimised."
Spedley
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Location: Warwickshire

Re: Bag weights

Post by Spedley »

And I believe it is 10Kg max carrying for the new delivery methods (2 x 16kg on trolly).
clashcityrocker
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Re: Bag weights

Post by clashcityrocker »

brothermagrew wrote:The office union rep is right but as bag weights comes under the auspice of health and safety you should have sought clarification of the national position from your workplace health and safety rep and where one is not in situ sought guidance from your CWU Area health and safety rep, but it should be noted with the following proviso especially with regards to terrain issues.

For the purposes of accommodating terrain issues, it may be appropriate that rather than use a 16kg pouch on the first leg of the walk, an 11kg pouch is used and a 16kg pouch used second or third pouch in the walk over more suitable terrain. However, only one 16kg pouch will be used on any given walk. (guidance is provided).
Obviously you are correct brother but the problem with this is the poor driver may end up carrying 30 x 16kg bags instead of 30 x 11kg bags, and lifting etc is a far more strenuous exercise compared to carrying.
Far better imho to stick to 11 kg for the drop bags (and 11 kg for the first one as well)
Just as a matter of interest how many H&S reps are there in units compared to IR reps?
We've never had a H&S rep and nobody wants to do it.
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brothermagrew
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Re: Bag weights

Post by brothermagrew »

Brother CCR

A conservative estimate of about 2,500 CWU workplace/unit health & safety representatives and about 200 CWU Area health & Safety Reps.
"Today’s workplace has become heartless and soulless. Employees are seen as units of labour, automatons, functionaries, objects for achieving designated tasks, and as costs to be minimised."
woofwoof
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Re: Bag weights

Post by woofwoof »

brothermagrew wrote:Brother CCR

A conservative estimate of about 2,500 CWU workplace/unit health & safety representatives and about 200 CWU Area health & Safety Reps.

and the driver puts how many 16 k bags in the pouch boxes