The Association of Pallet Networks (APN), in conjunction with the UK’s eight major pallet networks, is launching its annual World Health and Safety at Work week, during which hub teams will reinforce best practice, as part of a wider strategy to drive down workplace injury.
The initiative, which runs from 28 April to 2 May, follows a rise in incident rates in the sector in 2024 - the first increase since 2018. While this rise compares to a very low rate of injury in 2023, safety incidents increased by almost 20% year-on-year, the APN has revealed.
This year the networks are focusing on employee health and well-being as well as operational safety.
Each pallet network in the UK will distribute educational material to all hub workers and drivers visiting their hubs, alongside banners and reminders of some of the most important elements of staying safe when working with curtainsided vehicles, pallets and in dynamic environments.
APN chairman Paul Sanders said: “This is one of the most important events of our year, when all of the pallet networks join forces to make UK Hubs some of the safest in the world.
“Our Health and Safety Forum, which has safety and operational professionals from every network, has achieved huge gains over the past six years by identifying key risks, analysing the incident data we collect and reinforcing the training we disseminate to all member drivers and our hub teams.”
The World Health and Safety materials this year will emphasise:
- Why all employees must put their own health and safety before any operational task
- How to safely use nets, curtains and restraints – the leading causes of Hub injury incidents
- The importance of looking after one’s mental and physical health and fitness
- The dos and don’ts of safe loading and unloading
- The importance of wearing full PPE
- How to respond in an emergency situation
- How to record essential personal and health data so it can be found in case of emergency.
During the week all employees as well as senior managers will be asked once again to sign their annual pledge that they will work to keep themselves and those around them safe at all times.
Sanders said: “We try to cover safety from every aspect: healthier, safer employees, good systems, good training, and well-trained responses should something go wrong.
“It is not enough for only first aiders, or only those based at a site to know these things in transport.
“Our hubs have hundreds of visiting drivers every weeknight and they must all understand how to protect themselves, how to work in the safest possible way and what to do should they have a problem.”
Sanders added that this year’s focus on physical and mental health is timely, with employee wellbeing at the heart of safety.
“People’s health is important in its own right, and HGV drivers in particular can be at higher risk of several physical and mental conditions which can damage their quality of life. However, health is also integral to safer operations.”
Working together the APN Health and Safety Forum have seen six years of continuous improvement in the incident rate and whilst the incident rate rose in 2024, to 0.42 per 100,000 pallets, the APN points out that this is still lower than 2022 or any previous year.
Sanders said the work of the Health and Safety Forum is challenging and deserves credit.
“We constantly work towards eliminating harm during network operations.
He explained: “This is not an easy ask, as network hubs are probably one of the busiest logistics operations, cross docking tens of thousands of pallets from hundreds of vehicles each weeknight.”
Sanders added that the Health and Safety at Work Week is designed to impart practical reminders and top-up training, but also aims to be inspirational and aspirational.
“We are extremely proud of our H&S Forum but also of every member of these teams.
“World Health and Safety Week is about ensuring that everyone takes responsibility and participates in making theworkplace the safest possible environment.
“We have built safety cultures in our networks which extend from board level to the individual and this week is when we remind everyone just how precious and vital that is,” he said.
